Letters on Iceland

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L E T T E R S

ICELAND:

CONTAINING

OBSERVATIONS

O N T HE

Civil, Literary, Ecclefiaftical, and Natural Hiftory; Anti-
quities, Volcanos, Bafaltes, Hot Springs; Cuftoms,
Pref^ Manners of the Inhabitants, &c. &c.

MADE,

During a Voyage undertaken in the Year 177a,
By JOSEPH BANKSjEsq, P. R. S.

Aflifted by

Pr. SOLANDER, F,R.S. Dv % J. LIND, F, R. S,

Dr. UNO VON TR OIL,

And feveral other Literary and Ingenious Gentleman.

Written by UNO VON TROIL, D.D.

Firft Chaplain to his Swediih Maje^yT^Almoner of the Swediflt
Orders of Knighthood, and Member of the Academy 0$
Sciences at Stockholm. *

TO WHICH ARE ADDED

The Letters of Dr f IHRE and Dr. BACH to the Author,
concerning the Edda and the Elephantiafis of I c e land :

ALSO

Profeffor BERGMAN'S Curious Obfervations and Chemical
Examination of the Lava and other Subltances produced on
the Mand.

With a new M A P of the Ifland, and a Reprefentation ©f the
remarkable Boiling Fountain called by the Inhabitants Geyser,

SECOND EDITION,
Corrected and Improve a,

LONDON;

•

Printed for J. ROBSON, in New Bond Streets
W. RICHARDSON, in the Strand* and N. COJNANT,
IK F§EBT Street/

MDCCLXXX,

nso

CJ-O- N T-E N t Si

i

iBTTEiii 0nth*jtyeSHJ6ffire iH Iceland' pige f

tRTT r ^..Qntheflonfiituiioi of the Country 36

Lb.tt.1V. 4^ the-Arrival of the Norwegians, the
Government qnd Lavis in I^a^d - . .ja

L&tt. V» Concerning Escie/Sd^cai Affairs in Iceland

: ' ; ■ ' 74

Lett.Vl tif iheXkahtatr tiid Mann* of life of

tBelcetfrdtis .. . : . . " /*£

Lett. VIL Of the Drefs of the Icelanders - 94

Lett. VIII. Of the Houfes and Buildings 6f the Ic*
V ktiders <. op

Lett. I*. Qf the Food of the Icelanders - 103

^ Lett. X. Of the Employment of the Icelanders, and
1 their Chronology - - - ^ u ^

a Lett. XL Of ihe Difeafes of Iceland - x ip

^ Lett. Xll. Of Fi/bing and Foiling, and the Breed
j cf Cattle in Iceland - - - - 1^4

Lett. XIII. Of the trade of Iceland - i 4 8

Lett: 2lV. <jf Icelandic Literature - 153

Lett, XV. Of Printing in Iceland - . x g x

Lett. XVL 3f the Remains of Antiquity in Iceland

187

* * irET*.

m

r*

CONTENTS.
Lett. XVII. Of Icelandic Poetry - ' — 195

Lett. XVIII. Of the Volcahos in Iceland - 220
LetJ'.XIX. TbrSubjep cdntinued + ; -; ; 231
Lett. XX. Of Mount Heckla - - 239

Lett. XXL Of the hot, Shouting Water Springs in
Iceland - - •' ? * --\ L '. a - '- f - 245

Lett. XXII. tf tifiPiikrr/jBf Bafalfs fl>. which fe
fubjoined Mr. Banks's curious account pf ,the ifland

of Staffa - ~ \. * ' . - / - • 266

Lett.XXIII. From Chev.* ikkE tt> Dr.' *f roil —
Concerning the Edda ' ~ - • * . . - . 28.9

Lett.'XXIV. From Chev. Bach to Dn'TROit —
Of th+ Icelandic Ekpbantiafis « - . ,-/ . 319

Lett. XXV. From Profeflbr Bergman to Dr.

Troil— Of 4he'Effefts of \ Fire botfr at^tbe Voh

*§anos and the Hot -Springs ; and of the Bafaltes 338

INTRO-

INTRODUCTION.

( J iVH'E, accounts of Iceland,; fahiclV
•.JL lV: .faaye hitherto made thieir ap-
pearance in the Englifh language, are
qf fuch a nature, that it would betray
ignorance or partiality to recommend
them to the public, as fatisfaciory aad
faithful.

The firft writer of any known hiA
tory of Iceland in the prefent century
was John Anderfon, afterwards Bur-
gomafter of Hamburgh, who under-
took a voyage to this not much-fre-
quented, ifland in a Greenland (hip ;
but the authenticity of his performance
is fax. from being fuch as may be re-
lied x>n with confidence*

Niels Horrebow, a Danifb aftrono-
tner, was fent to Iceland by the court
of. Denmark on purpofe to contradict
Anderfon's account; he published
fome bbfervations on Iceland, but
from , a too great defire to pleafe his
employees, he fell into the oppofite
5 error,

■ t *u

fefror, and paints all his objects witli
a gj9^ of. colling tbat. 4oes : not
ex*My rorrefpond with the t*uthL

In Richer's Continuation of Rolling
XJiijtory ,i$ a hiftory of Icdanjj^^
moft pitiful eompifetipri, aria full of
(her grbflfeft' errors v that ever dHgrawd
thehiftgrical page* rr ;; ,;

Under the authority bf the llbyal*
Society of % Stiencers at 'Copenhagen*
Eggert Olafsen^ dncH ; Bfcu*ie Ptiidticfij
two men of learning, natives' of Ice-
land; 1 and refi'diffg m the boiiritry*
travelled all oyer that iflatadj ahd^ave*
in' .two volumes ib quarto; ' V ¥kith~
fut'&ntj ample apcotint of all" that
defervcs the attfeiitioh of the learned*
and curious, ifhifttated 'by mfmefour
engravings: but though the^perfor-
ttraiice k atcurate/'&nd 1 circumffiantial^
yet it is unfortunately clogged tfttfcre*
petitibns, and the facfts are recounted in
f|> tjedious and p'tfihterefting a manner/
tjiat, it; requires a thoft phrlegmatifc' tem-
per, and a large fund of patience^ tb get
tHrpugh the whole of this work,
for it Is filled: with a long arid dutt
recital of erertts, methodized ki -the
r • v moft

tftoft for tttal manner pdffible. ft < can
therefore by no tneafts be thought fopei^
fluoiis, that Dr. Vott Troil has favoured
the literary world with his intefeftin£
Letters oil Iceland ; a work which, oft
account of its varied matter, and the
great learning difpjayed every where
for the inftjru&ion of the curious
reader, deferves the warmed appro-?
Ration of the public t

Men of talents and learning will,
we flatter ourfeltes, think highly of
this prefent perforinance of Dr. Von
Troil, though perhaps it may be fbme-
times a little deficient in point of lan-
guage.

The prefent traftflatioh has beeti
made from the lad German edition,
publiftied by Meffrs. Troil and Berg-
jnan, with numerous additions and
correftions ; and though it is not often-
tatioufly recommended to the public
for any elegance 6t accuracy of ftyle,
it may however be fafely dated as a
faithful tranflatioh from the original,
and a work of real merit and utir
Jity.

We

C viU ]

We leave it to the unprejudiced
reader to form a judgment of this per-
formance, which is replete w\th va*-
riety of matter, treated on in an in-
structive and fatisfadlory manner; and,
likewife on the great learning rela-
tive to natural hiftory, .hiftqrical, an-
tiquarian, and philological fubje&s,
that ^re every where blended in the
context of the following letters : and
we are of opinion, that, in relpecl to
thefe points, this work requires no
apology for offering it to the impartial
public.

As to its utility, it will npt be un-
neceflary to prefix a few obferyations
on the importance of Icelandic litera-
ture.

The Englifli language was originally
£o nearly related to that of Iceland,
that we need only caft our eyes on a
gloflary, to fee the affinity of both
languages, and the great light the one
receives from the other.

The Normans and Danes, who were
during a confiderable time mailers
of England, introduced into it many

cuftoms,

i he 3

cuftoms, laws, and manners, which
would remain inexplicable ; but the
Icelanders being originally defcended
from the fame Normans, and living
on an ifland that has very little in-
tercourfe with the reft of the world,
have preferved their language, man-
ners, and laws- in their primitive fim-
plicity ; nay, all the hiftorical ac-
counts of the North are contained in
the hiftorical fayings (fagas) of the
Icelanders, which are very numerous,
and would be of very important fer-
vice in the investigation of the origin
of the language, manners, and laws
of England. Nor can it be advanced
that this kind of ftudy could not be
purfued amongft us for want of thefe
hiftorical monuments of the Icelanders ;
finqe by the known indefatigable zeal
for the promotion of all branches <}f
literature, and; the pioft difinterefted
generofity of Jofeph B nks, Efq.
B. R. S, one hundred and fix y -two
Icelandic manufcripts have beeix pr«-
fented to, and are depofited ii the
Brittfh Mwfcum.

.: • . .;\ h The

[ * ]

The hiftory of the northern nations,
their divinities, religion, principles,
and tenets, together with their poetry,
prefent the philofophic reader with
fubjeds worthy of his fpeculation ;
they at the fame time account for
many hiftorical events, and for many
a curious cuftom prelerved by fome
one or other of the nations defcended
from the fame root with thefe inha-
bitants of the North.

The fubjeft of volcanos, and of
the origin of certain kinds of ftones
and foflils, have of late attracted the
attention of philoibphers ; but, irt
my opinion, they are no whdre
treated with fo much candour, truth,
and philofophical precifion as in thofe
remarks which the Chevalier Torberh
Bergman fent to our author in form
of a letter, and which he has here
communicated to the jkiblic.

The whole ifland ef Iceland is a
chain of volcanos, thfe foil almoft
every where formed of decayed cin-
^ders, ; lava, and flags ; afrid the nume-
rous hot fprings, efpecfi&lfy that called
*Qtyfer 9 give full fcope to the moft

curious

fcurioua remarks Qn thefe fubje&s,
fince they are here obvious in fo many
varied fhapes, and for that reafon be-
come inftru&ive; Lava and fome
other productions of nature have not
been hitherto fubje&ed to chemical
procefles t Profeflbr Bergman there-
fore defcrvea the thanks of the public
for his excellent letter, giving a very
interefting account of his experiments
on all the various foffils and natural
productions of Iceland. The origin
of thfe bafaltic pillars, fuch as form
the Giant's Caufeway in Ireland, the
whole ifland of Staffa, and more efc
pecially FingaPs Cave, has of late
been ihiich fpoken of by travellers
and learned mineralogifts. Some
afcribe their regular configuration to
cryftallization : others pretend the
ftibteitfane&us fire to be the caufe of
their rtgtildr columnar fhape ; but the
iiigeftious Chevalier Torbern Bergman
proves, by the mod folid arguments,
thdt the bafalt pillars are no lava, or
iany-wtfys related to volcanic fubftan-
ccs, and that their regular columnar
fhape, he fuggefts, is owing to ano-
b 2 ther

ther caufe, and by his reafoning ren-
ders it highly probable.

We are at the fame time prefented
with a view of the primitive earthy
that originally compound all earthy
and ftony bodies hitherto difcovered
on the furface of our globe ; and their
characters are here alfo fet forth in the
raoft eafy and obvious manner by ex-
periments.

This great and interefting circum-
ftance alone would be fufficient to re-
commend the prefent performance to
the perufal of chemifts, mineralogifts,
and philofbphers.

The letter of the Archiater Bach to
Dr» Troil, on the difeafes of Iceland,
contains, the moft curious and inter-
efting obfervations for the ufe of me-
dical gentlemen. In ftiort, there is
fcarcely a clafs of readers who will not
find inftru&ion and entertainment in
the ingenious performance of Dr.Uno
Von Troil, the author of this book.

He is a Swede by birth, and 'de-
fcehded of a noble family : his father,
Samuel Von Troil, was archbifhop of
Upfal.

After

[ xiii j

After having ftudied divinity, the
oriental and northern languages and
antiquities, together with the various
branches of natural philofophy, he tra-
velled, ancf vifited Germany, France,
England, and Holland..

During his ftay in England he was
introduced to Mr. Banks, who was
then returned from his voyage round
the world, and preparing to go on a
fecond ; but that not taking place, he
was prompted to make a fliort excur-
fion towards the Weftern Iflands and
Iceland; and eafily prevailed upon Dr.
Von Troil to accompany him on this
literary voyage*

After the return of Dr. Von Troil,
he wrote letters to feveral learned men
in his own country, eminent in the
various profeffions and branches of li-
terature and fcience, on the different
matters he had obferved in Iceland
during his voyage : they were at firft
only intended to fatisfy the folicitations
and curiofity of his friends, who wifhed
to be made acquainted with whatever he
had difcovered worthy the notice of a
b 3 literary

t

literary man, and that might like wife
bid fair to afford amufement.

The fenator Count Charles Schefr
fer, a man of a benevolent character,
and who patronizes learning in all its
branches, together with its profdTors,
folicited our author to communicate
them to the public : in compliance
with which, they were publilhed at
Upfal in 1777 in odavo ; and the
next year after they appeared at the
fame place tranflated into German,
very much enlarged with additions of
the author and alfo of the Chevalier
Bergman.

. Dr. Von Troil h^s for his talents,
learning, and chara&er beep promoted
in his native country to feveral places
of honour and emolument, fo that
he may now be confidered as the firft
man in Sweden in point of eminence
in the ecclefiaftical line, and in point
of learning inferior to aone : he has
taken his degree of do&or of dir
vinity, is principal chaplain to the
king, prefident of 'the confiftpry,
re&or of the gvefc church pf Stockr

*■"".• holm ?

1 [ XV ]

holm, and prelate to all the Swedifti
orders of knighthood.

Thefe curfory hints were thought
neceflary for ufbering his Letters on
Iceland into the literary world; the
public will, no doubt, be curious to
know the particular obfervations made
by a learned man on an ifland that
Mr. Banks, one of the firft charac-
ters of this country, thought deferv-
ing a nearer infpe&ion by a voyage
he undertook at a great expence, ac-
companied by feveral learned and in-
genious men.

For the information of thofe who
wifli to be acquainted with all the pub-
lications that have appeared, to treat
either at large of Iceland, or examine
fome of its particular objedls, we have
here fubjoined a very curious and
complete catalogue of them.

b 4 CATA-

CATALOGUE of Writers on Iceland*

1 TOACHIM Leo wrote fotne verfes on Iceland in
J the German la nguage, full of errors. There
are four editions of ihern. Arngricn Jonse, in his
Commentario de Iflandia, quotes the edition of
1561.

2 Jacobi Ziegleri Scondiafeu DefcriptioGroenlandiae*
lflandise, Norvegiap, & Sueciae. Francofnrti 1575.

3 Jonfbogen (i. e. Jonlbook, an old book of laws)
Hoolum (in Iceland.) 1 578. 8vo. and feveral edi-
tions fubfcquent to it.

4 Arngrim Jona* brevis commentarius de Iflandia.
Hoolum 1592. 8vo. and Hafn. 1593. 8vo»

5 Ejufd. Crymogzea feu rerum Iflandicarum libri tres.
Hamburg 1609, 1610, 1614, 1618, 1620, and
1670.

6 Bit kenii Iflandia f. populorum et mirabilium, qua
inea infula reperiuntur, accuratior defcriptio.Ludg.
Hatav. 1607. 8vo.

7 Arngrim J6nae Anatome Blefkeniana. Hoolum
. 1012. 8vo and Hamburg 161 3. 4to.

8 Dan Fabritius de Iflandia & Groenlandia. Roftock
1616. 8vo

9 Arngrim Jonae epiflola pro patria defenforia.
Hamburg 1618. 4to. written in oppofition to the
preceding book.

10 Arngrim Jpnae Apotribe calumniae. Hamburg
1622.

11 De regno Daniae & Norvegiae infulifque adjacen-
tibus, tra&atus vaiii colle&i a Stephan Stephanio.
Ladg. Batav. 1629. i2mo. from whence the pare
concerning Iceland is taken out, and printed fepa*
ra ely wj^h the following title.

12 Iflandicae gentis primordia 8r vetus republica.
Ludg. Bat. 1629. 1 2 mo.

13 Arngrim Jonae Athauafia Gudbrandiana. Ham-
burg 1630.

14 Feder

. C xvii ]

14 Peder Clauflbn's Norriges og omliggende Bars Befk-
rifvelfe. Kibb. 1632. 4to. and Kibb. 1637. 8vo.

15 Arngrim Jons fperimen Iflandiae hift. & magna ex
parte chorographicum. Amft. 1643.

id La Peyrere Relation de I* Iflande, 10 a letter to
Mr. de la Motte Vayer, dated 18 Dec. 1644. Is
infcrted in the Recueil des Voyages au Nord,
torn. I. Amft. 17 15. 8vo.

17 Wolfii Norrigia illuftrata. Hafn. 1651. 8vo. and
4to.

18 Wolfii Norriges, Iflands og Grbnlands Befkrif-
velfe. Kibb. 1651. 4to.

19 Hieronym. Megiferi Septentrio Nov-antiqua, five
die neue Nord-welt, Ifland, Groenland, &c. Leipz.
1653. ^nao.

20 Edda Iflandorum A. C. 1215, per Snorronem
Sturlas iflandice confcripta, iflandice, danice, &
latine edita, opera P» J. Refenii. Hafn. 1 665. 4to.
together with

21 Philofophia antiquiflima Norvego-danica difta
Volupfa, quae eft pars Edda Saemundi, primum
publici juris fafta a P. J. Refenio. Hafn. 1665.
together with

22 Ethica Odini, pars Eddae Saemundi, vocata Haara-
mal, edita per P. J, Refenium. Hafn. 1665.

23 Theod. Thorlacci dilT. chorographica hiftorica de
lflandia, praes. JEgid. Strauch. Wittenb. 1666 and
1670. 410. item 1690. 4to.

24 Erici Bartholin! experimenta Chriftalli I flan did
difdiaclaftici. Hafn. 1669. 4to.

25 Volufpa. Kibbenhavn. 1673. 4to.

2.6 Martiniere neue Reife in die nordifchen Landfchaf-
ten. Hamb. 1675. 4to. TranQated from the Eng-
lifh. There is likewife a French edition, Paris
1682.

27 Arae Multiftii Schedse. Skallholt 1688. 4to.
Oxford 1696. Kibb. 1733. 4 to *

38 Landnama Bok. Skallhok 1688. 4to. Is likewife
pubjiihed at Copenhagen, with a Latin translation,

notes,

[ xviii ]

notes, and federal indexes under the title of Iflahds,
Landnama-Bok, h. e. Liber originum Iflandise,
Editio noviflima, ex manufcriptis Magnaeanis fump-
tibus peril. Suhmii. Havn, 1 77*4. 4to.

29 Gahm de ratione anni folarisapud veteres Iflandos.
This memqir is printed at the end of Ar# Schedae,
in the Copenhagen edition.

30 Thordr Thorlaks DifT. de ultimo montis Hecklae
in Iflandia incendio. Hafn. 1694.

3 1 Gahm de prima religionis in Iflandia fundatione.
Hafn. 1696,

32 Defcription du Nord. 1698. 1 21110.

33 Niewe befchryvinge van Spitfbergen, Ifland,
Greenland end de beygelegen Eylanden.

34 Einar Thorft. vita. Hafn. 1 700.

35 Reife nach Norden, worinneu die fitten, Lebenf-

arten and Aberglauben der Norweger -and

I (lander accurat befchrieben werden. Leipz. 17x1.
1 2mo.

36 Blefkenii Hiftorie van Lap-und Finland, hier is by-
gevoegt de befchryving van Is-en Groenland. Leu-
varden 17 16. 8vo.

37 Vetterften de Poefi Scaldorum Septentrionalium.
UpfaL 17 17. 8vo

38 Relation om det foerfkrekkelige Vandfall og $xun-
dation af Bierget Katlegiaa paa Ifland 1721* Co-
penhagen 1727. 4to.

39 Kort beraitelfe om berget Krabla paa Ifland, famt
andre Darnafs intil grantfande Berg, Hwilka ny-»
ligen begynt at intifpruta eld och brinna. This
account of the burning of the mount Krabla was
printed probably in the year 1724, at Stockholm,
on four pages in 8vo.

40 Benedict Thorttenfon efterrettning on den jord-
brand fom 1724 og folgende Aar i Bierger Krafla
og de dar omkring liggende Herreder har grafferet.
Kibbenhafn 1726. 8vo.

41 Olavi O. Nording Diff. de Eddis Iflandicis. Upfal,
i?3S- 4 to - Mr. Qdrichs at Bremen has reprinted

this

[ xix ]

this Diflf. in his Opufculis Dauiae & Suecix littc-
ratae, torn. i. 1774.

42 Joh. Dav. JCoehler proluGo de Scaldis feu poeti$
gentium ar&oarum. Altdorf 1738. 4to.

43 Er. Jul. Bibrner, Inledning til de Hfwerborna
Goeters gamla Hafder far deles gotiika fprakcts
Forman och Sagornas Kanned om. feu, Intro-
duftio inAntiquitatesHyperboreo-Gothicas. Stock-
holm 1738. fol.

44 Ejufd. traftatus de Varegis heroibus Scandianis.
Stockholm 1743. 4 t0 *

45 Lackmannus de computatione annorum per hyemes
prifcis gentibus hyperboreis ufitata. Kiel 1744.
4 to.

46 De Yfverborna Atlingars Lara — Hyperboreorum
Atlandiorum feu Suiogotorum et Nordraandorum
Edda, hoc eft Atavia, feu fons gentilis illorum &
Theologiae & Phjlqfophiae. Jam demum verfione
Suinonica donata accedente latina — ad MS. quod
poffidet Bibliotheca Upfalienfis — opera Joh. Gor-
anflbn. Upf. 1746. 4to. This edition of the Edda
was not finifhed.

47 Iflanfka taxan. Hoolum 1746. 4 to.

48 John Anderflbn Nachrichten von Ifland, Groen-.
land, und der Strafle David. Hamb. 1746. It
appeared fikewife tranflated into the Danifh lan-
guage. Gopenh. 1748. A French tranilation has
alfo been publiftied by Mr. Sellius, 1751-
1 2 mo, 2 vols.

49 Oftroy foer det Iflandfke Societet. Kiob. 1747-
8vo.

jo AvertifTement om Anderflbns Traftat om Ifland.
Kibb. 1748. 8vo.

51 Joh. Thorkelffons tillgift til Anderflbn om Ifland.
Kibb. 1748. 8vo.

52 Eggerhard Olavius Enarrationes hiftoricae de Iflan-
dise natura & conftitutione. Hafn. 1749. 8vo -

53 Ejufd. Diff. de ortu & progreflu circa ignemlflan-
"*' dips fubterjaneum. Hafn, 1749.410.

- Biarni

I XX }

54 Biarni Pauli Obfervationes de alga faccharifera
maris Iflandici. Hafn. 1749. 8vo.

55 Arnae Oddef. vita, inferted in the Nova literaria.
Hafn. anni 1750.

56 De Gamla Normanners Patriarkaliflca Lara pa,
Swenfka och Lat. af J oh. Goranflbn. Stockholm

% 1750. 4to.

57 OJai Wormii Epiftolae, Hafn. 175 x. 2 vols. 8vo.

58 Tilforladeliga cfterretningar om Ifland med ctt
nytt Landkort, og 2 Aars metereologifka Obfer-
▼ationer af Niels Horrcbow, Kibb. 1750. 8vo.
This performance is likewife tranflated into Ger-
man 1752. 8vo. ,

59 Specimen Iflandiae non barbarae, in nouvellis lite*
rariis Hafnienfibus 1752.

60 Nachrichten von Ifland, a ftiort abftraft of Hor-
rebow's book inferted in a periodical paper called
Beytragen zum Nutzen und Vergnugen. Greifs-
wald 1753. 4 to.

6x Erici tentamen de nominibus & cognominibus Sep-
tentrionalium. Hafn. 1753. 8 vo.

62 Th. Nicolai die copimeatu Iflandorum navali.
*7 S3- 8vo.

63 Svein Solvefen Tyro Juris Iflandicus. Kibb.
1754. 8vo.

64 Vidalins Bref til Jon Arnefen de jure patronatus
Iflandorum, tranflated into Danifh, and publifhed
by Magnus Ketilfon.

65 DjiTertatiuncula de montibus Iflandiae cryftallinis,
auft. TheodrTorkelli I. Vidalino, fcholae Skallhol-
tenfis eo tempore Reftore. Tranflated from the
Latin MS. into German* and publifhed in the
Hamburg Magazine, volume XIII. N° I. and II.
1754. 8vo.

66 Difquifitiones duae hiftoricae antiquarias. Prior de
veterum Septentrionalium, imprimis Iflandorum
peregrinationibus ; pofterior de Philippia feu amo-

ris equini apud prifcos borcales caufis per Job.

Eiici. Lipf. 1755. 8vo * T ^ e flrft is tranflated

into

[ xxi }

into German, and inferted into Schlozer's Northern
Hiftory. 177 1. p. 556.

67 Ejufd. Specimen Obfervationum ad antiquitates
Septentrional.

68 Ejufd. Commentarius de expofitione infantum ad
veteres Septentrionales.

69 Introduction a PHiftoire de Dannemark, par Mr.
Mallet, a Copenh. 1755. 4to. to which a tranfla-
tion of the Edda is prefixed. The fame is tranfla*
ted into Englilh, 2 vols. 8vo. and into. German.
Greifswald 1765. 410.

70 Joh. Snorronis de Agricultura Iflandorum. Hafn.
1757. 8vo.

71 Hald Jacobfens efterraetningar om. de i Ifland
ildfprudende Bierge. Kiob. 1757. 8vo.

72 01. Eigilfon's Berettnelfe om de tyrkilke Soerovere
i Ifland. Kiob. 1757* 8vo.

73 Nic. Pet. Sibbern idea fiiftoriae litterarte Iflando-
rum In Dreyer's Monumenta anecdota. I Tom.
Lubecae 1760. 4to.

74 Balle oekonomiflca Tanker ofwer Ifland til hoyere
betankning. Kiob. 1760, 1761. 2 vols. 8vo.

75 Joh, Finnaeqs tentamen hiftorico-philologicum circa
, Norvegiae jus ecclefiafticum prifcum, and

76 Ejufd. Curae pofteriores in hoc jus. Hafn. 1762
and 1765. 4to.

77 Thorften Nicol. de commeatu veterum Iflandorum
reftituendo. Hafn. 1762. 8vo.

78 Joh. Arnefon Inledning til den gamle og nya
Iflandike Rattegaang, udgiyen af I. Erichfen.
Kiob. 1762. 4 to.

79 Joach. Stechau de fide hiftorica monumemor.
Iflandic. Lund. 1763.

?o Five pieces of Runic poetry, tranflated from the
Icelandic language. London 1763. 8vo.

8 j M. Olafsen's forfog til Landrafenets forbedring i
Ifland. Kiob. 1765. 8vo.

97, Ejufd. Anmarkningar till Jons boks Darilka of-
werfattetfc. Kiob, 1765. $vo.

83 Egil

[ xxii ]

83 Egil Thorhallfcns forfwar for fin ofwerfattelfe,
Kiob, 1765. 8vo.

84 H. Finnfen efterettning qm tilgragelferfle vid Bier-
get Hekla udi Ifland i April og foljende manader.
Kiob. 1767.

85 Olavii Syntagma de Baptifmo veterum. Hafn.|i 769*
4to. »

26 Breve om Agerdyrknings muelighed i Ifland fra

Hans Finnfen 1 769 and 1772.
Sj Joh. Pcterfen om den faa Kallade Iflandflce fldor-

biugg. Soro? 1769. 8 vo.

88 Erichfen om Iflands up Komft. Kioebenhafn

1770. 4to.

89 Skuli MagnufTon urn thann Iflenika Garnfpuna.
Kiob. 8vo.

9.0 01. OlafsensIflanikUrtagaardsbok. Kiob. 1770.
8vo«

91 Thor Oddefons tanker om akurdyrkin paa Ifland*
* Kiob. 1 77 1. 8vo.

92 Iuel Nprrlands Trompet.

93 'Martefqld om Iflands Huufliolding med fedhe vahre
og Hamborgs Kiodrogning. Kiob. 177 1. 8vo.

94 01. Olfon um fifki-veidar og fifld-nettan*. ' Kiob.

1771. i2mo.

95 Upartifke tanker om det Iflandlke Haddels-Kom-
pagnie og dexs farende Kiobmand. Kiob. 177,1.

96 Anmerkningar over Coropagniets Handel pfaa If-
land. Kiob. 1771.

97 Lud. Harboe Tuende of handlingar om reforma-
tionen i Ifland*

9S Ejufd. Hiftory of the Iflandic translation of the

Bible. * " ''

99 Fkmeijohannsi, Eplfcopi Diocefeos Skallholtinae in

Jflandia, Hirtoria Ecclefiaftica Iflandiae. T. I. II.

III. Hafu. 1772 & 1775.

100 JonOlflbn om den Iflandlke Handel. Kiob. 1772.
. . 8vo.

1 01 Bref til Hr. Cancellie Radet Lagerbring roraride
then Iflandfka Edda (by Chevalier Ihre). Stock.

1772. 8vo.

[ xxiti ]

.102 Relation d'uri Voyage dans la Mer dto Nord par
de Kerguelen de Tremarec. Amfterdam 1772.
4to.

103 Eggert Olafsens og Biarne Povelfens Rcifcigienem
Jfland, 2 vols. Soroe 1772., 4to. It. appeared
likewife tranflated into German. Leipz. 1774 &
1775. 4to. 2 vols.

104 Steph. Thorafens de homicidis fecundum fcges
Iflandorum antiquas. P.I. Hafn. 1773.

105 Kriftnt Saga, S. Hiftoria Religionis Chriftianae in
Iflandiam introductae, flee noo : Thattr af ifldf
Bificupi, f. narratk) de Ifleifo Epifcopo— cum in-
terpretatione latina, nptis, &c. Hafa. 1773.
8vo. ..

106 Iflandifch* Literatur und Gefchfchte. Erfter
Tbeil. Goettingea 1773. 8vo. The ingenious
Prof. Schlpzer at Gottingen is the author.

107 Ifkndifche . 2teitungen. Thefe newfpapers were
publiflied in Iceland in the year 1775.

.108 Bualagen. Hrappfej. 1775.

1 09 Biorn a Skardzaa Annalar Hrappfej. 1774 and
*775* 4 to « 2 vols. Thefe annals contain the
hiftory from 14 00 101645; and .are puWiftied
with a Latin tranflktion: Annates Biarnis a
Skardfa. Ex manufcxiptis inter fe collar rs cum
interpretation Latina, v&riantibus le&ionibus,
nods & iacfice, '

I iq Kriftift:r<itr hum gamli— Jus Eeclefiafticum vetus
f. Thorlacco-Kettilianum conftitutum, A. C,

i ;ii23, Iftendice & Larine, edit Grimus Job.
Thorkelln. Hafa. 1775.

m Berattelfe om den Iflanfiflce farflaotfeln, upfatt
af ' Tbeod.. Thor<>ddi. Thefe LofcferVations ap-
peared tranflated into Swedifli by* Mr. Barehaus,
in the Journal df .hufbahdfy i7f6> the montfcof
November. rStockh. ..*,..;*

I12 Vorlaufender Bericht und zugleich die Vorrede

von der alten und raren Iflarjaiferien Edda, fo

' uber 700 Jahr und daruber in 'Norden bifher

1 uncr-

[ xxiv ]

tinerklarbar verfteckt gelegen. Stettin 1776.
4 to. Its author is Mr. bchimmelmaon of Stettin,
who likewife had printed in 1774 ; Abhandlunj*
abgefaflt in einem Schreiben an einen Gelehrtea
von der alten Iflandifchen Edda. 4to.

113 Sven Solvefen Iflandifke Jus criminale. Kibb.
1776. 8vo.

1 14 Iflandifche Merkwurdigkeiten, l in a periodical
paper called Mannichfaltigkeiten, firft year fecond
quarter. Berlin 1777. 8vo.

1 15 Sciagraphia Hiftoriae litterariae Illandise, au&orum
& fcriptorum turn editorum turn ineditorum in-
dicem exibens, cuivis delineandae periculum fecit
Haldanus Einari, Ph. Mag. & Reftor Scholae Ca-
thedr. Holenfis. Holmiae. 1777 8vo.

116 Modern Hiftory of the Polar Regions. The firft
part is to be met with in Richers's Modern Hif-
tory or Continuation to Rollins's Antient hiftory,
Vol. XXVII. Berlin 1778. 8vo.

117 DiflT. inauguralis de Lichene Iflandico, Praef.
TrommfdorfE, Refp. Reiffe. Erfurth 1778.

118 Die Iflandifche Edda. Das ift : die geheime
Gotteflehre der selteften Hyperboraer^-im Jahr.
1070 to 1075, aus alten runifhen Schrlften edirt
von Samund Froden, hiernachft im Jahr 1664,
durch Refcn, und nun in die hochteutfche Sprache
mit einem Verfuch zur rechten Erklarung uber*
fezt und edirt von J. Schimmelmann. Stettin
1778. 410.

119 Bref rserande en Refa til Ifland 1772. Upfal
'1777. 8vo. and tranflated into German by Joh.
George Pet. Moeller. Upfel and Leipz. 1779%
8vo. The work which now here appears
tranflated into Englifti.

120 Joh. Theod. Phil. Chrift. Ebeling de Quaffia &
Lichene Iflandico. Glafgoae 1779. 8vo.

This Catalogue contains all the writers of any con-
fequence on Iceland, or on matter? any way rekh
tivc to, or concerning that country.

0. JV .

GEYSER

Letters on Iceland,

2

* L E T T E R L

To Prbfeflor'BEkcJ MAN*
On the Efft&sdftht Fires in Iceland*

SINGE I atn happily retucned from
a very pleafaitt fumtncr^sexcurfiori
thittugh theweftern iflands of Scotland;
to Ibelahd and the Orkneys, it is with
pefcuiiarpleafitre that I take this oppor-
tunity of afltoring- yoiv of ray efteem.
aftdlfriendfhip* It is probably not un-
kttowti to y&u> that Mr. Banks and
Dr. Solartder have been difagreeably
difappoiuted when they were on the
point* of fettitrg ont on a new voyage
round the world hMt fummer. ^ How?

* This letter wa* firft publifhed ia the year 1773,
ia the Upfal newfpapers, N° 3, 4, 6, and 8.

"A ever,

jOZu

t 2 1

ever, in order to keep together and
employ the draughtfmen and other
perfons whom they had engaged for
their voyage to the South-Sea, they re-
folved upon another excurfion. It was
impoffible to chufe a better one than
that to Iceland ; and you may eafily
conceive, Sir, that though I was ready
to fet but on my return to Sweden, I
did not hefkate a moment in accepting
their offer to accompany them. To
fay the truth, I was glad ta vjfit a
country where I could not only hope
to find many remains q? aur ariiient
language, hut whejreJ was ajfo certain
to fee nature in a new point of vi/ew.

I have , not been disappointed, ia
either of my expectations ; and I cpul^
never have found a happier oppwtur
nity than that of making this voyage
in the company of Mr, B^nfcs and
Dr. Solander, of whoqi it would fee
unnecefiary to fay more, as they are
fo well known both to y0.tj.9nd £0 the
learned and ingenious throughput
Europe*

I know, Sir, that every informitibn
will be welcome Co you, which con-
cerns

■ [ 3 3

cernfc thofe obje&s. that attra&ed my
attention there ; and there is no one
who would communicate this informa-
tion tot you with more pleafure than
myfelf ; but as it would require too
much prolixity to mention every thing,
I (hall only in this letter fpeak of the
principal operations of the fires in
Iceland^ a fubjed which, I am con-
vinced, is one of the molt important.
" On our arrival in Iceland on the
i8th of Auguft 1772, we dire&ly law
a profpedt before us, that, though not
pleafing, was uncommon and furpriz-
ing- Whatever prefented itfelf to our
view bdre the marks of devaftation ;
and our eyes, aceuftomed to behold
frhe pleafing' coafts of England and
Scotland, now few only the veftige&
of the operation of a fire, heaven
knows how antient I
. The defcription of a country, where
quite clofe to the fea you perceive al-
rooft nothing but craggy cliffs vitrified
by fire, and where the eye lofes itfelf
in high and rocky mountains covered!
with eternal fhow, cannot poflibiy pro-
duce fuch emotions a$ at firft fight
A a might

[ 4 ]

might entirely prepoflefe the thinking
fpe&ator. It is true, beauty is pleating
both to our eyes and our thoughts ;
but wonderful nature often makes the
mod lading impreffions.

Wecaft anchor not far from BefleP 1
tedr, the dwelling-place of the celebrat-
ed Sturleibn, where we found two
tra&s of lava called Gorde and Hualey*
re-Hraun (for what we and the Itali-
ans call Lava is in Iceland called Hraun %
from Hrinna, to flow) of which the laft
particularly was remarkable, fince we
found there, befides a whole field
covered with lava, which muft have
been liquid in the higheft degree,
whole mountains of turf. Chance
had directed us exaftly to a fpot on
which we could better, than on any
other part of Iceland, confider the
operations of a fire which had laid
wafte a traft of ten or twelve miles *.

* The miles mentioned by Dr. Troll are always
Swedith, ten and a half of which are equal to a degree
on one of the great circles of the globe ; and therefore
One Swediflimile is nearly equal to fix Englifh ftatute-
miles. Ten or twelve miles are therefore fixty or fe-
venty-two Englifh miles,

Wc

f 5 - ]

We fpent feveral days here in examin-
ing every thing with fo much the more
pleafure; for we found ourfelves, as
it were, in a new world.

We had now feen almoft all the ef-
fects of a volcano, except the crater,
from which the fire had proceeded : in
order therefore to examine this like-
wife, We undertook a journey of twelve
days to Mount Heckla itfelf; we tra-
velled fifty or fixty miles * over an un-
interrupted track of lava, and gained
the pleafure of being the firft whp
ever reached the fummit of this cele-
brated volcano. The caufe that no
one had been there before is partly
founded in fu perdition, and partly in
the extreme difficulty of the afcent
before the laft eruption of fire. There
was not one of our company who did
not wifti to have his cloaths a little
finged, only for the fake of feeing
Heckla in a blaze ; and we almoft flat-
tered ourfelves with this hope, for the
bifliop of Skallholt had informed us

* Three huadrpd or three hundred and fixty Eng-
lish miles.

A 3 by

•

E v V

by letter, in the night between tne jtti
and 6th of September, the day before
bur arrival, flames had proceeded frorn
it ; but now the mountain was more
quiet than we wiftied. We however
paffed our time very agreeably, from
one o'clock in the night till two next
day, in vifiting the mountain • We
were even fo happy, that the clouds
which covered the greateft part of it
difperfed towards evening, and pro-
cured us the moft extend ve profpe<ft
imaginable. The mountain is fome*
thing above five thoufand feet high*
and feparates at the top into three
points, of which that in the middle is
the higheft. The moft inconfiderable
part of the mountain confifts of lava,
the reft is aflies, with hard, folid ftones
thrown from the craters, together
with fome pumice-ftones, of which
we found only a fmall piece,, with. It
little native fulphur. A description
of the various kinds of ftones to- be
found here would be too prolix, - anii
partly unintelligible ; and I fo much
the more willingly omit it, as I hdpe
to fatisfy your curiofity, as fbon as

the

[ 7 " 3

the collection I made of them arrives
In Sweden,

Amongft many other craters or
openings* four were peculiarly remark-
able ; the firft, the lava of which had
taken the form of ftacks of chimneys,
half broken down ; another, fron*
which water had dreamed ; a third, all
the ftones of which were red as brick;
and laftly, one from which the lava had
burft forth in a flream, and was di-
vided at fome diftance into three
arms. I have faid before, that we
were not fo happy to fee Heckia vomit
fire ; but there were fufficient traces
of its burning inwardly ; for on the
upper half of it, covered over with
four or fiv6 inches deep of fnow, we
frequently obferved (pots without any
fnow ; apd on the higheft point,
where Fahrenheit's thermometer was
at 24 in the air, it rofe to 153 when
it was fet down on the ground ; and
in lbme little hoies it was fo hot, that
we could no longer obferve the heat
with a fmall pocket thermometer. It
is not known whether, fince the year
1693, Heckia has been burning till
A 4 176$,

f 8 ]

J 766, when it began to vomit flames
on the firfl: of April, . burnt for h
long while, and deftroyed the country
piany miles around. . Laft December
fome flames likewife proceeded from
it ; and the people in the neighbour-
hood believe it will begin to burrt
agairj very fopn, as they pretend to
have obferved, that the rivers there-*
abouts are drying up. It is believed
that this proceeds from the mountain's
attra&ing the water, and is confidered
as a certain fign of an impendinjg erup-
tion. Befides this, the mountains of
Myvatn and Kattlegia are known in
this century, on account of the vio^
lent eruptions of the former, between
the years 1730 and 1740, and of the
latter in 1756.

But permit me, Sir, to omit a farther
account of the volcano at this time*, in
order to fpeak of another efferfl of the
fire, which is more curious and as won-
derful as the firft, therefore muft be the
more remarkable, as there is not in

* Dr. Troil treats more at large of the Icelandic
Vqlpanoes in b'13 ipth and 19th letters.; and in the
jjgth he (peaks more particularly of Mount Heckla.

" - ' * ' any

t 9 ]

any part of the known world any
thing that refembles it ; I mean the
hot fprings of water which abound in
Iceland *.

They have different degrees of
warmth, and are on that account di-
vided by the inhabitants themfelves
into laugar, or warm baths, and buerer,
or fprings that throw up the water to
a cotifiderable height ; the firft are
found in feveral other parts of Europe,
though I dp not believe that they are
employed to the fame purpofes in any
other place ; that is to fay, the inhabi-
tants do not bathe in diem here merely
for their health, but they are like wile
the occafion for a fcene of gallantry.
Poverty prevents here the lover from
making prefents to his fair one, and
nature prefents no flowers of which
garlands elfewhere are made : it is
therefore cuftomary, that inftead of
all this the fwain perfe&ly cleanfes
one of thefe baths, which is to be af-
terwards honoured with the vifits of
his bride. The other kind of fprings

* The 21ft letter trp«s jnore fully of the hot fprings
in Iceland.

fnen?

C I* 1

mentioned above deferves more atten^
tion. I have feen a great number of
them ; but will only fay fomething of
three of tlfe moft remarkable. Near
Laugervatn, a fmall lake of about a
mile in circumference, which is about
two days journey diftant from Heckla, 9
I faw the firft hot fpouting fprings ;
and I muft confefs that it was one of
the moft beautiful fights I ever beheld.
The morning was uncommonly clear,
and the fun had already begun to gild
the tops of the neighbouring moun-
tains; it was fo perfect a calm, that
(the lake on which fame fwans were
fwimrfting was as fmooth as a looking-
glafs, and found about it arofe, in eight
¥ different places, the fleam of the hot
fprings, which loft itfelf high in the air.
Water was fpouting from all thefe
fprings ; but one in particular conti-
nually threw up in the air a column
from 1 8 to 24 feet high, and from 6
to 8 feet diameter ; the water was ex-
tremely hot. A piece of mutton, and
fome falmon trouts, as likewife a ptar-
migan, were almoft boiled to pieces
In fix minutes, and tafted excellently.
2 I wifh.

[ *I ].

J wijfh it was in ray power, Sir, tq
give you a defcription of this place a$
it deferves ; but I fear it would al-
ways remain inferior in, point of ex-
preflion. So much is certain at leaft,
nature never drew from any one a
more chearful homage to her great
Creator than I here paid him.

At Reikum was another fpout of the
fame fort ; the water of which, I was
allured, role to 60 or 70 feet perpen-
, dicular height fome years ago ; but a
fall of earth having almoft covered the
whole opening, it now fpouted only
between 54 and 60 feet fideways. We
Found here a great many petrified
leaves in this place, as % like wile fome
native fulphur, of which alfo the water
had a much ftronger tafte than any
where elfe.

I have referved the mod: remarkable
water-fpout for the end ; the defcrip-
tion of which will appear as incre-
dible to you as it did to me, could I not
allure you that it is all perfectly true,
for I would not aver any thing but
what I have feen myfelf. At Geyfer,
pot far from Skallholt, one of the.epif*

copal

C " ]

copal fees in Iceland, a moft extraor-
dinary large fpouting fountain is to be
feen, with which the celebrated water-
works at Marley and St. Cloud, and at
Caflel, and Herrenhaufen near Ha-
nover, can hardly be compared. One
fees here, within the circumference of
half a mile *, 40 or 50 boiling fprings
together, which, I believe, all proceed
from one and the iame refervoir. In
fome the water is perfe&ly clear, in
others thick and clayey ; in fome,
where it pafles through a' fine ochre,
it is tinged red as fcarlet ; and in
others, where it flows over a paler
clay, it is white as milk.

The water fpouts up from all, from
fome continually, from others only at
intervals. The largeft fpring, which
is in the middle, particularly engaged
our attention the whole day that we
fpent here, from fix in the morning till
feven at night. The aperture through
which the water arofe, and the depth
of which I cannot determine, was 19
feet in diameter ; found the top of it

* About three EnglHh miles.

is

[ 13 ]

is a bafon, which, together with the
pipe, has the form of a cauldron ; the
ijiargin of the bafon is upwards of nine
feet one inch higher than the conduit,
and its diameter is of fifty-fix feet.
Here the water does not fpout conti-
nually, but only by intervals feveral
times a day ; and as I was informed
by the people in the neighbourhood,
in bad rainy weather, higher than at
other times.

On the day that we were there, the
water fpouted at ten different times,
from fix in the morning till eleven
A. M. each time, to the height of be-
tween five and ten fathoms ; till then
the water had not rifen above the mar-
gin of the pipe, but now it began, by
degrees to fijl the upper bafon, and at
laft ran over. The people who were
with us told us, that the water would
fbon fpout up much higher than it had
• done till then, and this appeared very
credible to us. To determine its height
therefore, with the utmoft accuracy,
Dr. Lind, who had accompanied us
on this voyage in the capacity of an
aftronomer, fet up his quadrant.

Sooij

C .14 1

- Soon after four o'clock we obferved
that the earth began to tremble irt
three different places, as likewife the
top of a mountain, which was about
three hundred fathoms diftant from the
mouth of the (pring4 We alfo fre-
quently heard a fubterraneous npife
like the difcharge of a cannon ; and
immediately after a column of water
(pouted from the opening, which at a
great height divided itfelf into feveral
rays, and according to the observations
made with the quadrant was ninety-,
two feet high- Our great furprize at
this uncommon force of the air and
fire was yet increafed, when many
(tones, which we had flung into the
aperture, were thrown up again with
the fpouting water. You can eafily
conceive, Sir, with how .much pleafure
we fpent the day here ; and indeed, I
am not much furprized, that a people
fo much inclined to fuperftition as the
Icelanders are, imagine this to be the
entrance of hell ; for this reafon they
feldom pafe one pf thefe openings with-
out fpitting into it ; or, as they fay,
utifandens mun, into the devil's mouth.

Bat

I V 1

But I think it is time to fmifli my
long letter j and I will only try you*
patience with one thing more, which
likewiie deierves to he better known.
Natural hiftorians always obferved thofe
large remarkable pillars, which the
hand of nature has prepared in Ice*
land, and in fome other places, with
the greateft attention. The GdantV ,
Caufeway has, till now, been con-
fklered as the largeft and raoft regular
affemblage of thefe columns ; but we
have discovered one on our expedition
through ehtf weftem iflands x>f Seot- :
land, which infinitely furpaiTes it.
The whole ifland of StafFa * confifts
almoft entirely of theft pillars, which
ate as regular as can be imagined ;
they feem to be of the ikme fubftance
as the Will ones, and haVe from three
to feven fides ; each pillar is (iir-t
founded by others, that join fo clofely*

• * See the account of Staffs by JqCeph Banks, Efq.*
i«fertedir± Peasant's Tour in Scotland, and Voyage td
*b$ Hebrides, 1772, page 299* 309, aad the fine
views of thefe baialts, engraved after the adcurate
drawings executed by Mr. John Frederick Miller, em-
ployed by Mr. fconkv and coiamiu&icatad by the laft-
ajeqtioned gentleman, for the adorning of Mr. Pea-
sant's Tour,

to

£ t6 ]

to it, as to have only a very fmall fpace
between them, which is frequenly,filled
^p with a cryftallized incruftation. In
mod places the pillars are perpendicu-
lar ; in others they are a little inclined;
and yet in others they have the con-
figuration of the timber-work in the
infide of a (hip. The higheft pillar
was 5$ feet one inch long ; and each
joint, from one to two feet. There
is a cavern here which confifts en-
tirely of thefe pillars ; it is 367 feet
long, 53,7 broad, and 117,6 high. It
is three fathoms of water deep, fo that
it is eafy to enter into it with a boat.
It is difficult to determine the ques-
tion, how thefe pillars have been form-
ed ; but it is more than probable, nay,
aim oft certain, that they are the re-
mains of an antient volcano, indis-
putable trafts of which are found in
many parts of Scotland. You muft
not in this place apply to me the ftory
Helvetius tells of a clergyman and a
fine lady, who together obferved the
fpots in the moon, which the former
took for church fteeples, and the latter

for

for a couple of happy lovers, I krioW
that we frequently imagine to have
really found what we mbft think of,
or mod wifti for ; but I fincerely af-
fure you, that I do hot fpeak of fuch
fires without themoft decHIve opinion^
I will, however, referve a further ac-
count of thefe extraordinary produc-
tioris till my return home, when I flat-*
ter myfelf I fliall be able td give yoii
entire fatisfa&ion;

B L £ *-

[ «s 1

LETTER.H,
To the librarian Royal Mr. Gjorwell;

Of Iceland in general.

, Utrecht, Jap* 22, 177 :$<
SIR,

YOU are, no doubt, informed of
the voyage Mr. Banks and Dr«
Solander undertook laft fummerto Ice-
land, as well as of my having accom-
panied thefe gentlemen on that expe-
dition. I need not tell you what rea-
fons determined me to become one of
their company. You can eafily con-
ceive how many different circumftances
might have perfuaded a curious Swede
to vifit a country remarkable in fo
many refpefts : I am perfe&ly fatisfied
with my voyage, and can eafily con-
vince you of it, by communicating to
you fome little account of what prin-
cipally attracted our attention during
its courfe.

We

t t 9 j. .

We fct fail from London oil the
1 2tb of July lafl: in a fliip, for which
one hundred pounds fterling were paid
every month* Befides Mr* Banks* Dr«
Solander, and myfelf, we had on board
an aftrondmer *, a lieutenant of the
navy (a very worthy man* his name is
(Sore, and defervefs to be mentioned, as
he is* as far as we know* the firft who
has failed three times round the world t)
together with a lieutenant* three
draughtfmen, ahd two writers, who*
tvith the feamen and fervants, made
about forty people*

We firft landed on the Ifle of Wight,
which is a little paradife, where we
fpent two days. Nature feeras to have
fpared none of her favours to em-
bellifli it ; and I know not any placfe
in it that does not prefent a pleafing

* Dr. James Lirict of Edinburgh, who Is well known
hj many memoirs inferted in the Pbilofophical Tranf-
t&xom, and other ingenious publications.

f Captain Dampier did it a long time before Mr.
Gore, viz. Gowley and Dampier, 1683, 1684; Etam-
pierand Futinel, 1689, 1691 5 Woodes* Rogers, ahd
Dampier, 1708, 1711. If lieutenant Gore and cap*
tain Charles Clerk return fafe home from the voyage
they are now engaged in, they both will have failed
four times round the world.

tiew tb the obferver. The inhabitants!
fefemble their ifland ; they live in &
little community, among themfelves j
they are not very rich, neither have
they any beggars. They are generally
cheerful, cleanly, and obliging ; and
there are but few inftances among
them of any one marrying a perfoii
tvho did not at that time refide or af-
terwards fettle on the ifland.

From thence we failed to Plymouth,
where we faw the docks, magazines,
and every thing belonging to thera
worthy of notice, and then proceeded
towards St. George's Channel.

We had intended to land on the
irte of Man, as it is one of the few
places where the Runic characters have
been brought by the Danes, and the
only one, except the north, where
fome of our old Runic ftoftes are
found ; but at fea We cannot always
aft according to ourpleafure: the wind
obliged us to le^ve the Ifl'e of Man on
our right, and to continue our courfe
to the weftern iflands of Scotland.

It is exceedingly pleafant to fail among
thefe iflands, though not very fafe*
without a good w4nd and expert pilots;

for

I « ]

for in the firft cafe you muft depend
upon the ebb and flood ; and in the
fecond you are in continual danger on
account of the great number of rocks.

The nature of the country is fuch,
that I do not wonder at it its having
given birth to a Fingal, and an Offian,
It is not the only place where we have
feen heroes produced among the moun-
tains ; and what can be more calculated
to form a poet, than wild romantic and
Enchanting fcenes of nature, which
are here fo pleafingly blended ?

It would be tedious to enumerate all
the ifles we havp yifited, The moft
remarkable are Oranfay find Columb-
kill, on account of their antiquities ;
Scarba, for its known water-drain,
(Vattu-drag); and Staffa, on account
of its natural pillars, which hitherto
have been little known, and furpaft
whatever has been obferved before q£
the kind, , .

You know. Sir, that the inhabitants
of thefe ifjes, jis well as in moft places
of the Highlands of Scotland, have a
language of thei^ own, which they call
JCrfe, and which is a remnapt of the ,
J3 Celtic,

[ « h

Celtic. In this language Offian wrote
His admirable poems ; and though the
inhabitants cannot at prefent produce
any thing comparable to them, yet I
hope, on my return home, to give
you proofs of their being able to
write both with elegance and judg-
ment. As it is very extraordinary that
this language fliould have preferved
it itfelf here fo long *, it will per-

* The very little conne&ion. that the antieat inha*
bitantsof the Scots Highlands and of the Hebrides had
with other nations (efpecially before the Union, which
has in every refpeft been beneficial to them) is the true
caufe that the Erfe language has fo long been preferved
among them. Befides thefe reafons there is another,
which accounts ajmoft for them all ; the poverty of
the foil and inclemency of climate admit of very little
cultivation, fo that thefe parts have very few natural
productions which might tempt foreigners tovifit them;
fbme few gifts of nature are, no doubt, lodged in th$
bofom of the hills of Scotland ; but hitherto indolence
*nd want of induftry in the natives' have neglefted thefe
riches : it is only within a few years that commerce has
begun to raife its head, which alone induces other na-
tions to frequent this or any country. It is therefore
not fo very extraordinary, that in a mountainous conn*
try the remains of antient nations fhould be found,
who preferve for a great length of time their lan-
guage, In the Caucafus are ftill exifting the pofterity
of feveral nations who crofled thefe mountains in their
attempt to conquer Ada and Europe ; and within a
fmall compafs, more than five or fix different lan-
guages are fpoken.

haps

[ 23 ]

baps not be difegreeable to you to be
more particularly acquainted of the li-
mit's within which it is confined. I
will readily iketch them out to you,
being able to do it with fo much the
more certainty, having received my
information from Mr* Macpherfon, the
only man in Great Britain who has
particularly ftudied this language*

It begins to be fpoken on the eaftern
fide at Nairn, and extends from thence
through the whole country, and all the
weftern ifles. In the north its limits
are it Cathnefs, where Erfe is only
fpoken in four pariflies out of ten ; in
the other fix, better Englifh is fpoke
than in any other part of Scotland.
There is in Iceland another dialed: of
it, as well as in Wales and Britany ;
however, they are not fo different, but
that a man born in either of thefe pro-
vinces, may make himfelfunderftood in
theothers. Had I been acquainted with
the language ofthePalikarlians, Ifhould
have had an opportunity of examining
how far that flmilarity is fotinded
which, as it appeared to my ear, fub*
fifts between thefe two languages,

B 4 The

C 84 I

The country abounds with northern,
antiquities, fuch as caftles, ftrong*
holds, burying-places, and monuments,
(Bautafteinar) &c. and the people, who
are obliging and extremely hofpitable,
have a number of cuftoms refembling
thofe obferved by our country-people,
fuch as the celebration of the firft of
May *, and many others.

We now left thefe idands, and con-
tinuing our voyage arrived at laft, on
the 28th of Auguft, at Iceland, where
we caft anchor at Befleftedr, formerly
the dwelling-place of the famous Stur-
lefon. We feemed here to be in another
world ; inftead of the fine profpe&s
with which we had fed our eyes, we now
law only the horrid remains of many

* It is cal|ed in Sweden war Fn/uUg\ lejour de not re
Dame, our Lady y s Day. The witches are fuppofed to
take, in the night preceding that day, their flight to
Blakulla, a famqus mountain ; but it was forrrierly
believed in Germany, that the witches travelled to the
Bloxberg or Brocken, ahigh mountain Contiguous to
the Hartz foreft. In Sweden the fpring comes on
about this time, qnd of confequence the hard labour
of ploughing, mowing,' and reaping follow one an-
ther from' that time, and' require the bed exertion of
tljeftrengrb of the hu(bandmen, to which they prepare
themfelves on this day by frequent libations of their
£lrongale;and they ufuallyfay, Majieinan drickamarg
Lbemn ; You mull drink marrow in your bones.

devaf-

[' *5 ]

devaftations. Imagine to yourfelf a
country, which from one end to the
other prefents to your view only barren
mountains, whofe fummits are covered
with eternal fnow, and between them
fields divided by vitrified cliffs, whole
high and (harp points feem to vie with
each other, to deprive you of the fight
of a little grafs that fprings up fcan--
tlly among them* Thefe fame dreary-
rocks likewife conceal the few feat- 1
tered habitations of the natives, and-
a fingle tree does nowhere appear that
may afford fhelter to friendfhip and
ipnocence* I fuppofe, Sir, this wilt
not infjplre you with any great incli-
nation of becoming an inhabitant of
Iceland ; and indeed at firft fight of
fuch a country one is tempted to be-
lieve it impoffible to be inhabited by
any human creature, if the fea, near
the Chores, was not every where eo*
vered With boats.

Though there is fcarcely any coun*
try fo little favoured by nature, and
where (he appears throughout in fb
dreadful a form, yet Iceland contains
pbou; 6p,ooo people, who cannot pro-
perly

t ** 3

pcrly be called unhappy, though they
are unacquainted with what in other
places conftitutes happinefL I {pent
there above fix weeks with the great eft
pleafure, partly in ftudying one of the
raoft extraordinary fituations of na-
ture, and partly in collecting infor-
mation from the natives, concerning
their language, manners, &c. &c*
As to the former, I have treated of it
ia a letter to profeffbr Bergmari, which
I doubt not he will communicate to
you with pleafure, if you defire it*
Of the latter I will here mention fome
particulars*

You know, Sir, that Iceland firffc"
began to be cultivated in the ninth
century by a Norwegian colony,
among which were many Swedes.
They remained perfectly free in thia
corner of the world for a long time ;
but were, however, at laft obliged to
iubmit to the kings of Norway, and
afterward* became fubjeft, together
with Norway, to the kings of Den-
fnark, They were at firft governed
fry an. admiral, who was fent thither
every year to make' the necefTary re-
gulations ;

j

[ *7 3

gulations ; but that mode has been
changed iftany years,and a governor *
appointed, who conftantly redder in
the country. This pofl; is, at pre*
fent, occupied by Mr* Larr Thodal,
who has formerly been Danifli pleni*
potentiary in the commiflion for fcfc*
tling the limits between Sweden and
Norway, and has fpent feveral yean
at Stockholm;

The Icelanders are of a good honed
difpofitian ; but they are, at the fame
time, fo (eriousand fallen, that I hardly*
remember to have feen anyone of them
laugh : they are by no means Co ftrong
as might be fiippofcd, and much icfs
handfome. Their chief amufetuenr,
in their leifure hours, is to recount to
one another the hiftory of former
times ; Co that to this day you do not
meet with an Icelander who is not well
acquainted with the hiftory of his own
country : diey alio play at cards.

Their houfes are built of lava,
thatched with turf, $nd fo ftnall,
that you hardly find room %o turn in.
They have no floors ; and their win-

* Stiftfamtmann.

dows,

[ 2* ]

dows, inftead of glafs, are compofed
of thin membranes of certain ank
xnals. They mike no ufe of chimnies,
as they never light a fire, except to drefs
their vi&uals, when they only lay the
turf on the ground. You will not
therefore think it flrange, when I in-
form you, that we faw no houfes, ex-
cept (hops and warehoufes ; and on our
journey to Heckla we were obliged to
take up our lodgings in the churches.
Their food principally confifts of
dried fifh, four butter, which they con-
fider as a great dainty, milk mixed
with water and whey, and a little meat*
They receive fo little bread from the
!Panifli company, that there is fcarcely
any peafant who eats it above three
or four months in the yean They
like wife boil groats, of a kind of
mofs (Lichen Iflandicus) which has an
agreeable tafte. The principal occu-
pation of the men is fifhing, which
they follow both winter and lbmmer.
The women take care of the cattle,
knit (lockings, &c. They like wife
tlrefr, gut, and c|ry the fidies brought

home

home by the men, and otherwife aflift
in preparing this ftaple commodity of
the country.

Befides this, the company wh6
yearly fend fifteen or twenty fhips
hither, and who poflefs a monopoly
which is very burthenfome to the counr
try, export from hence fome meat,
eider-down, and falcons, which are ,
fold in the country for feven, ten,
and fifteen rix-dollars a-piece- Mo-
ney is very rare, which is the reafort
that all the trade is carried on by fifh
and ells of coarfe unfhorn cloth, called
here Wadmal ; one ell of wadmal is
worth two fifhes ; and forty-eight fifties
are worth a rix-dollar in fpecie* They
Were better acquainted with gold at our
departure, than at our arrival.

They are well provided with cattle,
which are generally without horns:
they have likewife fheep, and very
good horfes ; both the laft are the
whole winter in the fields : dogs and
cats they have in abundance. Of
wild and undomeftic animals they
have only rats and foxes, and

fome

J p> 1

feme bears *, which come every ytat
from Greenland with the floating ice I
thefe, however, are killed as foon as
they appear* partly on account oi
the reward of ten dollars, that the
king pays for €very bear, and partly to
prevent them from deftroying their
cattle* The prefent governor has in*
troduccd rein-deer into the ifland ;
but out of thirteen, ten died on their
paflage, the other three are alive with
their young*

It is extraordinary that no wood
grows fuccefsfully in Iceland ; nay,
there is fcarcely a Angle tree to be
found on the whole ifland, though
there are certain proofs of wood having
formerly growri there in great abun-
dance. Corn cannot be cultivated here
to any advantage ; though I have met
with cabbages, parfley, turnips, peafe,
&c. &c* in five or fix gardens, which
Were the only fines in the whole ifland*

* The bears here mentioned are the white polar or
ar&ic carnivorous bears, abfoiutely a fpecies very
diftinft from oar brown and black bears ; though the
N celebrated Linneus only fufpe&ed them to be a new
fpecies, not having fecri and examined any of thefe
animals.

I muft

t %t ]

t uiuft how beg 4 leave to add ft
few words . about the Icelandic li-
terature. Four or five centuries ago
the Icelanders werfe celebrated on ac*
count of their poetry and knowledge
in hiftory. I could name many of
their poets, who celebrated in fongs
the warlike deeds of the northern kings ;
and the famous Snorre Sturlefon is
the man to whom even the Swedes are
indebted for the firft iiluftration of
their hiftory. We for this reafbn iet
fo high a value upon the antient Ice-
landic records and writings, that they
have a] mod all been drawn out of the
country : fo exceedingly fcarce are they
become, that, notwithstanding the pains
I took during the whole time of my ftay
there, I got a fight of only four or
live Icelandic manuscripts. In the
inland parts of the country, our old
language has been preferved almoft
quite pure ; but on the coafts, where
the natives have an intercourfe with
the Danifh merchants, it has beenfbme<»
what altered. , Some fpeak the Danifli
language very well ; but thofe who did
not, could fooner make themfelves in-
2 telligible

[ 32 1

telligible Co us Swedes, than to the
-Danes. We likewife found three o*
four Runic inferiptions, but they were
-all modern, and <5onfequently of no
value. I have faid before that the Ice*
landers took pleafure in lifteniftg to
their old traditional fayingsand (lories;
and this is almoft the only thing that
remains among them of the fpirit of
their anceftors, for they have at prefent
but few poets ; and their clergy know
little befides fome Latin, which they
pick up in the fchools eftabliihed in the
epifcopal fees at Skallholt and Hooluim
Some of them, however, have ftudied
at the univerfity of Copenhagen ; and
I became acquainted with three men of
great learning among them, who were
particularly well verfed in the northern
antiquities. One of them is the bifhop
of Skallholt Finnur Jonfon* who is
compiling an ecclefiaftical hiftory of
Iceland ; the two others are the pro-
voft Gunnar Paulfon,; and Halfdan Gi-
narfon, re£fcor at Hoolumj

That there is a printing-office in
Iceland cannot be unknown, as we are
acquainted with the rare editions of

Olof

t 33, ]

Olof Tryggwaflpns, Landnama, Green-,
land and Chriftendoms Sagas or Tra-
ditions, printed at Skallholt ; but I
did not expeft to find the art of print-
ing fo antient here, as it was repre-
sented to be, A Swede, whole name
was John Mathiefon, brought hither
the firil printing-prefe, between the
years 1520 and 1530; and published
in the year 1531 the Breviarium Ni-
darofienfe. I, have ^olleded as many
Icelandic books as I was able to dip-
- cover ; among the rareft is the Ice-
landic bible, printed, in folio at, Hoo-
lum in the year 1 584. I hope like wife,
that fifteen (till, now unknown) tra-
ditional hiftories or. fagas, . will be no
unwelcome, acquifition.

You may judge, Sir, how agree-
ably I fpent my time here in thefe oc-
cupations, that I applied to . with fb
much the more pleafure, as they all
related to objects entirely new: add
to which, the (bciety with Mr. Banks
and Dr. Solander ; the latter of whom
%a> 3 moft worthy difciple of pur Linne,
and, unites ^ a lively temper to the moft
excellent "heart ; and , the former a
% ' - ~ C ' * young

t 34 1

young gentleman of an unbounded
thirft after knowledge, refolute, and
fndefatigable in all his purfuits, frank,
fond of focial converfation, and at
the fame time a friend of the fine
arts and literature : in fuch com-
pany you will confefs it was impofc
fible I fliould have the lead reafon
for regretting the time ipent hx this*
voyage.

I had almoft flattered ntyfelf ^vith
the hopes of feeing Mr. Banks and
Dr. Sblander in Sweden ; but I learri
that they will be detained in England
for Tome time, I much fear i>r. So-
Iander will be for ever loft* to his na-
tive country, as well on accdunt of
the univerfal efteem in which he is,
held in England, f as of his being pre-
ferred to a more beneficial place at
the British Mufeum than that which
lie formerly poffeiled.

Their voyage to the Soiith Sdas will
probably make its appeafancfe in Aptfl
or May next. . They have alrfeady be-
gun to engrave the colleftibris of attf-
"mals ancj plants they made on their
Wyage, which 'wtil employ 'thenr ie-
' " " ' w vcral

t 35 ] :

veral years, as they muft confift, I
(hould apprehend, of near 2000 plates.
. It would be writing a natural hif 1
tory were I to attempt to give a pro-
per defcription of thefe admirable col-
lections. They have alone above 3000
fifties and other animals preferved in
fpirits, mod of which are new:
I/inne might find among their plants,
of which they have feveral fets (one
of which, I flatter «iyiel£ will find its
way into Sweden) fubje&s for a new
Mantifla.

I propofe, when I have feen Hoi*
Jand, to make a little excurfion to
Germany to fee Mr. Michaelis, and
foon afterwards return to my- natiye
country, where I fliall have the ho-
nour of alluring you perfonally of the
affectionate regard, &c. &c*

C 2 L E T-

[ 3« ]

LETTER III.
To Chevalier I h r e.

Oh the phyfical Conjlitution of the
- Country.

Stockholm, June 20, 1773*

SIR,

THERE is no duty more agree-
able to me than that of obey-
ing your commands, in tranfmitting
to you fome account of Iceland, its
antiquities, and what elfe relates to it.
As I have happily had an occafion of
feeing the country myfelf, it may with
juftice be required of me, that I fhould
willingly communicate to others the
informations I have been able to pro-
cure ; and it would give me peculiar
pleafure if they enabled me to anfwer
fatisfa&orily thofe queftions that you
kindly propofed to mc.

Iceland/

Iceland is juftly reckoned amongft
the largeft iflands in the known world*
It is fixty miles in length, and its
breadth exceeds forty Swedifli miles*.

The moft ufeftil among many maps
of this country is that which has been
made by Meflrs. Erichflen and Schon-
ning in the year 1 771, though it might
be further improved.
* Beffeftedr, in, the fbuthern part of
the ifland, not far from Hafnefiord,
lies, according to Horrebow's account
of Iceland, in 64 degrees 6 minutes
of north latitude, and in 41 degrees
of longitude, .from the meridian of
Stockholm ; fo that it is almoft in the
latitude of Hemofandf*
' The 'country doesnot afford & plead-
ing prafpeft to- the eye of the. travel*
ler, though it, prefehts him. with ob-
jd£s worthy of attention in many re- .
fpe&s: for befides innumerable ridges
of mountains that; Crofs it in feveral
directions, and fome of which, on

* About 360 Brigih £a*frile$ is length, and about
240 in breadth.

f A town in Sweden.

C 3 account

L j*. I

account of their height, are covered
with continual ice and fnow* you. only-
fee barren fields between them, en-
tirely deftitute of: wood, and covered
with lava for die {pace of many miles.
This is certainly as incapable of giving*
the eye pleafure, as St is unit for anjr
other life. On the Dther fide> hfO>w-<
ever, it caufes the greateft forprize iit
the attentive lpeftatbr^ to fee;fo. many
ftriking ' prfcofa of thfc dreadfiii effedla
of volcanoes. .. v: i ) >

Though the. edaf£s> are better uh-
habited* the. inland pasts of the conn*"
try eta hot lie wadfte £nd negle&cd ;
and • orafc.ifiiids jevjery? where, nfome-
times clofe together*, ;;and forafecimea
at greater diftances, farms with fofne
land, belonging to dhem, that gp^ie^
rally ; jconfifls of mepdow-landj ; ajict
foraetimes ;af bilk thick) fpread withf
lew j thm&s anxiirbirilntefi^ I thd rahidju
diey fconriur wk>k> thasl appeHatioiai of

Jn the whole ifland there are no
tie wns, not feVen villages? ; ottl^ fihgle
farms are to be feen, fame o£ ^l#cJi^
however, confift of JTeveral dwelling-*

houfes,

[:3>*.]. :

houfes, deftined for the tfwner of the
farm and his tenants {bMleygumann)\
who procure from the proprietor a
houfc and pafture for as many cows,
horfes, and (keep as they chooie to:
agree for. OA the eftatqs of fome pea-
fants who are better circuniilanced^
there are even fome times' dwetlia gs
for labourers (huufman) who -work ier
dally hire. All thefe farou Jbdtang .ei-
ther to the king, ' the church, pr thfe
peafaafs themfelves *. I will mark
the priee cpf two of thefe f^rtns, whkh
were fold a littte before our arrival*
that jrau may judge of their value.
The one farm, whereon teu cows, ten
horfes, anfl Fqur hundred Ifteep might,
be kept, was fold for ron^; hundred;
and tweaty rlx-4?llajr& \ ; and the other, !
which had fufficlent pafture for twelve
cqws, eighteen head of young cattle,*
above a year "old, that had not yet;
calved {ungnoty eight oxen, . fourteen

* In order to flijew ajt opcc in what proportion the,
f^ms are d5ftrib^te4 between the king, the church,
and the farmers, I will hfcre annex an abftratt takea
from the Icelandic VHIarium, et Land-book of the
year 1695, which came into my pofleffion. \

C 4 horfes -

[4«]

I Number of •

<-Skaftefialds.

o I *•

*|*

Names oi the
fyflHs or dif-

trifts.

Arne.

Rangervalla.

iT*

■i*ri

Muie.

Thingey.

Vadle.

t

-Skagafiords*

P

"Hunavatns. '

Strande.

Jfefiords.

TT

*iO *

STF

^7W

Bardaftrande.

Dale.

Hnappadals.

Snefialdfiias.

+\ .«9 '

>*»•" >i

BorgarfiorcU.

Kiofar.

v-\

'vrrr

'JuUbringe

o.g.s

ii

S3B

^* e*»

£

15 1

3 §

3

a

- n

•I"

H NO.

^I3F

i.

o o

-,•2

1 :

Pi

r

1:

Sfrf
£3

N

ii

ii

.2°:?
*»-

o -

.5.2?

•J-

t 41 ]

horfes, and three hundred fheep, for ,
one hundred and fixty dollars*

In fome few places they have fmalt
fenced fpots near their houfes, in
which they cultivate cabbage, parfley,
fpinach, turnips, patientia, potatoes,
and fome other roots and vegetables,
together with flax and hemp* Fruit
trees are looked for in vain, which
is -not to be wondered at, fince ftorma
and hurricanes are here- very fre-
quent. Thefe have given rife to the
name of Storm-coaft (JVedrakijla)
that has been given to fome places m
Iceland.

• Thefe ftormshave likewife prevented
the growth of fir-trees, and Norway
pitch-firs *, which governor Thodai
had planted here, whofe tops feemed
to wither as foon as they were about
two feet high, and thea they ceafed
growing.

That wo6d has formerly grown in
Iceland, can be proved from the Sagas
pr tradition ftories of Landnama, Ki-
alnefinga, Svarfdala, and Egill Skalla-
grimfonar. It is likewife proved by

* Pious picea, Linn, and pinus abics, Lino.

the

E 4* J
ttel pieces that are frequently dug upi
in marfhss ^ud fens, where not a
fihgfe bin£h is to be teen sit prefent.
Tfee fufcftance, called by the natives
fartmbrand, is likewife a clear proof
Qf it.

Thb fwrturbrand is evidently wood*
not quite petrified, but indurated*
' which drops afunder as foon as tft
comes into the air* but keeps well in
water, and never rots : it gives &
bright though weak flame, and a
gceat deal of heat, and yields a fourilh
though not unwholefowie ftnell. The
liniths prefer it to fea-coal, becaufe it
does not fo Coon wafte the iron* The
Icelanders make a powder of it* which .
they ufe to prefers ! their cloatkr
from moths ; they likewife apply; ie
externally a^inil the cholick. I have
fcen tea^cupsy plates, &c. in Copen-*
hagen made of furturbrand, that
takes a fine" poliffcu It is found in
many parts af Iceland, generally in
the mountains, in horizontal beds ;
(binetimes &veral on one another are
to be met with, as in the mountain of
Lacks in Bardeftrand, where four ftrata

of

C 45 I

t

offiirturbrand arc found with alternate
beds of different kinds of ftones.

I have brought a targe piece <?f it
with me to Sweden ; k has evident
marks of branches, the circles of the
annual growth* of the wood, leaves,
and ; bark, in the fiirrounding clay :
and there is fome reafon to believe,
that thefe trees have been mixed in the
lava thrown up by feme eruption of
fire or by a** earthquake. J

I am almost inclined 4<o believe that
fos*e ftrcams of lava, which at the
ctepth of -fifteen feet* according • to.
dWerv&feions that have^bfeen m&de,caa
advance twelve thoufand Swedifli ells,
of two fe#£*£ach, in eight hours, by a
jjeclivity :: of fbrty-fivfe degrees*,'- have*
fwept awa^-thefe tfees, whick feemto 1
have bfeeii^flf a ; confiderabie fi#e* arid'
juried ther&t and this is (b muc^i-the*
more provable, as th6 furturbfrahd ire-
quently htti the abearance of coal.
Bdt as I d€> not kno\v whether this opi-
nion has' ever betfn advahCed before,
aikl not having had opportunity of
xpaking fbfficient obfervations upon
fhis conjecture, and as there is even

fome

t

f 44 ] ■
fcmereafbntofuppoie that a tree would
directly be coniumed to alhes in fo.
violent a fire, though the contrary
may* alfo be poffible, when it is in the
fameinftant overturned, covered, and
fmothered ; therefore I will not even
venture to offer this opinion as pro-
bable.

There is ftill another likely fup-
pdfitiqn. The trees may have be$n ;
overturned by/. an earthquake, and
then covered beneath the hot alhes of a
volcano, in the fame manner as hap-
pened at Herculaneum, and other
places, where whole towns havefhared
the fame fate.

That there have been formerly con-
ficjerable woods in Iceland, can fcarcejy
be doubted ; nay* there are at this time
(pme fmall fp&ts covered with trees, as
at Hallormft^d, Ifuufefeld, and Aa,
and in feveral. other places. How-
ever, there are^ no fir orpine-trees;
and the birch-trees now exifting never
exceed, the height of eight or twelve
feet, and pre not; above three or four
inches thick,, which is partly owing
to bad management, partly to the de-

vaftations

[ 45 3

vaftions caufed by fire or hurricanes,
and the Greenland floating-ice : the
laft is the caufe that at Stadar-hrauns,
Eyry, and Kiolfield, whole fpots of land
are feen covered with withered birch-
trees. But thefe fmall birch being found
infufficient to fupply the inhabitants
withfuel, they likewife make ufe of turf,
fern, juniper, and black crake or crow-
berry bullies {clnpetrum nigrum) ; in
other places they burn the bones of the
cattle killed for butchers meat, and
fifties moiftened with train-oil ; alfo
dried cow-dung that has been the
whole winter in the meadow ; arid laft
of all floating-wood. This floating-
wood is obtained in great abundance
every year, particularly at Langanas
on the north-eaft coaft, at Hornftrand
on the north-weft fide, and every
where on the northern coaft of the
country *. There are feveral diffe-
rent

* The immenfe quantity of wood floating down the
Miffiffippi, the St. Lawrence, and other rivers of North
America, are probably thofe which are carried to the
northern regions. From the gulph of Mexico a ftrong
current fcts acrofs the Atlantic in a fouth-weft to north-
caft direction, or nearly, and carries many tropical
fruits on the coaft of Norway, the Feros, and Iceland :
which remarkable cifcumftancc has been noticed by

th?t

I 4« 1

rent kinds of wood among it, the
greateft part is Norway pitch-fir * j but
befides this, one finds common fir,
linden, willow t> cork-wood, and two

that curious obferver and delineator of nature George
Edwards. But the wood coming down the Miffiffippi
is remarked by Boflu, in his Travels through North
America, vol. i. pag. 19. The coaft of Greenland is
benefited by drift-wood, m the fame manner aslceland.
See Crantz's Hift. of Greenland, vol. i. pag. 37. The
northern coaft of Siberia is often covered wkh wood is
a moft aftontfhmg manner. See John George Erne-
Jin's Travels through Siberia, vol. ii. pag. 415. Nor
is the coaft of Kamchatka deftitute of floating-wood.
See J. F. MHfer's colldfHon of Ruffian TranfafHon^,
vol. iii. pag. 6j. The^reat rivers of Siberia, ,fuch as
the Lena, Kolyma, Yenifea, and others, carry chiefly
in fpring many wood-trees along with their waters
into the ocean, where it is often floating in various
dire&ions, fet by winds and currents, and checked bj
the immenfe mafles of ice, till, after many months and
years, it is thrown up and left on the coaft, for the
benefit of the inhabitants of thefe frigid regions,
which are too cold for the growth of trees. Iceland
receives its drift-wood by 'ftrong wefterly and north-
wefterjy gales, varying with foutherly winds, which
feems to confirm the opinion, that the drift-wood
comes from North America : it confifts chiefly of
pinus abies, picea, limbra, and larix, tilia europea, be-
tula alba, and {aiix caprea, and fome unknown kinds
of wood : and, according to Catefby's Nat. Hift., of
Carolina, great quantities of thefe enumerated wood?
are found floating down the rivers of Virginia and Ca-
rolina ; and another part feems to come round the
north of Europe from the Siberian rivers.

* Pinus abies, Linn. ff Safo caprea, Linn. ;

I Ibrts

r. 47 .1

forts of red-wood, which aire called
t*uda grewe and ftafdejk in Iceland,
and on account of their colour and
hardnefe are employed in various
kinds of neat work. It comes moft
^obabiy from the northern parts of
Tartary, and partly irom Virginia
and Carolina* As to what relates to
agriculture, ;it may be discovered by
many paflagcs of the antient Ice-
landic accounts, that corn formerly
grew in Icfeland. in later times ieve-
Hal t#iak have 'been made with it, but
they have been attended with little ftio-
x>6&.

Governor Thodal (owed a little bar*
fey in 1772, which grew very brilkly 4
but a fhort time before it was to be
teaped, a violent Harm £0 utterly de-
tftroyed it, that only a few grains were
found (battered about.

If w« confider, befides thefe ftrong
winds, or rather hurricanes, the frofta
^Which frequently fet in during May
and June, we (hall difcover a num-
ber of ^difficulties that check the pro-
vgreft of agriculture in Iceland. If,
notwithftanding thefe obftacles, it

can

C 4* ']

can ever be brought to a thriving con-*,
dition, it muft certainly be under the
prefent indefatigable governor, who
has the welfare of the country much
at heart, and, in conjunction with the
government, fludies every poffible
means to promote it.

I confider thefe violent winds, and
the Greenland floating- ice, which every
year does great damage to the country,
as the chief caufe of the diminution of
the growth of wood, as well as of the
ill fuccefs in the late attempts for in*
troducing agriculture.

This ice comes on by degrees, . afr
ways with an eafterly wind, and fre-
quently in fuch quantities, as to fill up
all the gulphs on the north-weft fide
of the ifiand, and even covers the fea
as far as the eye can reach ; it alfp
fometimes drives to other fliores. It
generally comes in January, and goes
away in March. Sometimes it ; only
reaches the land in April, and re-
maining there a long time, does ap in-
credible deal of mUchief. It confifts
partly of mountains of ice (fialljakar)
that are fometimes fixty fathoms

high

C 49 J

high abbve water, and announce their
arrival by a great noife, and partly of
field-ice (hellu-is) of the depth of one
or even two fathoms. Of this laft
fome parts foon melt, and other parts
remain undifFolved many months, of-
ten producing very dangerous effects
to the country*.

The ice caufed fo violent a cold in
1753 and 1754, that horfes and llieep
dropped down dead on account of
it, as Well as for want of food ; horles

* The immenfe mafles of ice that are fo dreadful,
aadaffeft the climate of the country along the north-
ern and north weft coaft of Iceland, arrive commonly
with a N.W. or N.N.W. wind from Greenland . The
field-ice is of two or three fathoms thicknefs, is fe-
parated by the winds, and lefs dreaded than the rock
or mountain ice, which is often feen fifty and more feet
above water, and is at lea ft nine times the fame depth
below water : thefe immenfe mafles of ice are frequently
left in Ihoal water, fixed, as it were, to ihe ground,
and in that ftate remain many months, nay years, un-
diflolved, chilling all the ambient part of the atroo-
fphere for many miles round. When many fuch lofty
and bulky mafles of ice are floating together, the wood
that is often drifted along between them is fo much
chafed, and prefled with fuch violence together, that
it takes fire; which circumftance has occasioned fabu-
lous accounts of the ice being in flames: of thebulkof
fuch ice-mafles, fee Forfter's Observations made during
3 voyageround the world, p. 6g % 1773 and 1774.

D were

t 50 ]

were obierved to feed upon dead cattle,
and the flieep eat of each others
wool. In the year 1755, towards
the end of the month of May, ia
one night the ice was one inch and
five lines thick. In the year 1756,
on the 26th of June, fnow fell to
the depth of a yard, and continued
falling through tire whole months of
July and Auguft. In the year fol-
lowing it froze very hard towards the
jend of May and the beginning of
June in the fouth part of the ifland,
which occafioned a great fcarcity of
grafts, infomuch that the inhabitants
had little or no fodder the enfuing
winter for their cattle: thefe frofts are
generally followed by a famine, many
examples of which are to be found in
the Icelandic chronicles *•

Befides

# The cold feettis to have become more intenfe irk
Iceland fince the time when thefe before-mentioned
fir-trees were growing, and before the oce^n was fb
very much covered with floating ice,

Thefe fafts feem to confirm very much the opinion
of count Buffon ; in confequence of which he believes,
that thecontitry towards the poles was formerly rtorft
habitable than it Is at prefent : he Is of opinion, that
the fkeletons of efephants found far north in Sibe-*
ria, are almoft irrefragable proofs of the formerly

milder

[ 5t I

Beiides thefe calamities, a number
of bears yearly arrive with the ice,
which commit great ravages, particu-
larly among the flieep. The Icelanders
attempt to deftroy thefe intruders as
feon as they get fight of them i and
fometimes they affemble together, and
drive them back to the ice, With
which they often float off again » For
want of fire-arms they are obliged to
make- ufe of (pears on thefe occa-
fions. The government itfelf takes
every pofiible method to encourage
the natives to deftroy thefe animals,
by paying a premium of ten dollars

feitder temperature bf the air; fince they conld fcarcely
be fbttfri ia Siberia in fath niimbm u&lefs they had
eufled there, BuSbn Epoqiues de la Nature, p. 165*
frfeq. 'the eaftern fhores of Greenland were for-
mttbf klhabfed by a colony of Norwegians, and they
bad tjwre a bj(hop>s feet Oalfed Gardar, fo which be*
forced farms, woods, paftum for cattle, granges, and
tillage-bud. See Cfcrottfs Hiftory of Greenland, rot,
1 p. 245, which evidently proves the mildnefs of
Ihife now inhofpitable regions. Ships (ailed formerly
to tEe eaftern coaft ; whereas for a great number of
years p*ft it has beet* Iftaeceflibfe oeaecouat of th« im*
Wit ttaflbs of ice fouod tkere* AreFrodc in Scheda
lflandia, Oxon*i;i6, cap. 2, p. 10, fays, That at
, tftefh-ft tending of the Mofwegian ctrfotrifts, Iceland
was catered with woodsr aadforeftr ia the Jpacete*
twtfoo the Acres and monnnrins,

D 2 or

foi\ r every bear that is killedjriand by
^ufcchafing the flrin of the man; wfro
kilted jit. ' Thete fkins ai*e : a 'preroga-
tive of the king, and are nor allowed
to be fold to any other pdrfdh.^

It is : as abfurd f to fiippofe; ;; that this
floating ice confifts principally 6f falt-
petre, *as' that it might be employed
in making gun-powder ; and yet there
are fome perfons who pretend to fup-
port ' this opinion ; but they are cer-
tainly undeferving the trouble of re-
futation,. '

Irauft mention two other inconve-
niencies to which Iceland is fubje&,
the Skrida and Snioflod : the name of
thefirfl imports large pieces df a moun-
tain tumbling down, and deftroying
the lands and houfes that lie at the foot
of it. This happened in 1554, when the
whole farm of Skideftedr in Vatndal
was ruined, and thirteen people buried
alive; the other Signifies the eiFeifts
of .a prodigious quantity of fnow f
that covers the tops of the moun-
tains, which rolling down in immenfe
maflep -does a great deal of damage.
There was an inftance of this in the

year

t a 1

year ^1^9, during fj&e : night* wh^ft;
two: .farms, in, th^ .£yflel of Kiofar,
were buried in die ihow, \vitl\alltlxeir
inhjab^titats.and cattle ,^» . .^;

. The climate is not funwholfome, as
the ufttal heat is. not extreme* nor the
cold f in general very rigorous.;.* How-
ever, there are. e^fanjpjes of , the mer-
cujry : i# < J&hreqhei^s thermometer .fell-
ing qjafefr ijlown Jntq.fhe . biTlk*; which
U 24 degrees ;un$eir the freezingrgpfntj
.wh^n : ift)9ther;ti^eVitrhas rofe-fo 104
d9gr^es ? ^ -• - ,;, ,. \ .';
t ; &:caj}Rpt 4 be determined with. , any
jdegr£e\ ; o£ certaiftty how nruch the
colet-has (iftefceafed or decreafed prior
to 1 749; the year^whenHorrebpw be-
,gan Jtts.obfervationspn the weather ;
t they ,-wtfre afterward^ continued -by
the provoft Gudlaug ThorgeirfTon to
,the year: 1 769 : : Sitiee which period
obferv^tions have lr bcen madebyrMr.

• Eyolfrjonfon, who was formerly affift-

* Snloflbd, or Snowfltobd; ife a veryexpreffiVeword

for this dreadful accident; whffih is not uncommon m

all alpine countries, especially Switzerland:' The

, Italians dall fuch a rolling down of maffes of foflw,

* Lavine \ the French, Laivach&; and the Germans,
i-auihnen; !:J ' ■ ........ .0- .

- 17 D x ant

[ H 1

ant at the Round Tower at£bpefiha*
gen, and receives a falary as £r ft ob*
ferver in Iceland *• His ©bferv&tory is
at Arnarhoi near l£eykarw$k j and
what is remarkable, he makes life of
a telefeope of his own contention,
made of the black Iceland agate, *n~
ftead of coloured gkfe.

Lightening and thunder {forms are
rare, and both in fiimmer ai^ winter
feldom happen any-where e8& tout in
the- neighbourhood of Vofcanoeg*
Northern lights frequently appear un-
commonly ftrong f« Sometimes a
kind of the ignis fatuus is obferved
(Sn&jd-lios and 1w<evar-elchiV) v that at-
taches itfelf to men and beafls.

Among other aerial phenomena,
the lunar halo {rofabaugur) which

* Tfcis tngenlovs gentleman died inj 7^5, not many
months fnce the writing of this letter.

t The northern lights appear in Iceland in all the
different quarters of the <ompa6 > efpeciftlly on the
foutheriy horizon, where a darkfegment appears, from
whence ftrong coUiums of light dart forth They are
moft frequently feen in dry weather, though there are
inAances of their appearance before, during, and after a
ftower of rain. The lights are often feen tinged witK
yellow, green, and purple. See Eggert Ol^ffen and
Biarne Povelfen's Travels through Iceland, $c> 855.

prog-

[ $5 1

prognosticates bad weather, likewife
deferves a place here, as well as par-
helions (hi a folar) that appear fome-
times from ane to nine in number *•
Fire-balls (dalled Viga Knottur) are
Iikewife obferved, arid when they ard
oval are named Wiigdbrandiir \ and
laft bf all comets, or Hale flier nor y
tvhteh ar6 often mentioned in their
ehronicles.

The ebb and flood here, which the
Icelanders call flod and fiard, are per*
fe&ly the feme as at other places : they
ire ftrfrftger ; dtiringf the new arid flilt
moan thari at other times, and ftrod^-
eft ef <all about the equinoxes.
* As I aril here fpeaking of the nature
af the country,- I cannot pafs over in
filed ce the earthquakes that often hap-
pen, particularly before volcanic erup-
tiofrs. Ift September, in the year
*75!5> fifteen violent (hocks were ob-

* The parhelioos afe obferYed in Iceland chiefly at
the appso^ch of. thg Greenland ice, whep as intenfc;
degree $f cold isprodueed, and the frozen vapours fill
the air ihthere are many inftances which prove, that,
under fuch circumftances, the fuo never appears with-
out faeyfigg one or feyeral parheHons* aqd often a
rainbow on, the oppofitc fide.

D 4. ferved

[ 5* ]

lerved within a few 4ays ; and it is not
uncommon to fee whole farms over-
turned by them, and large mountains
burtt afunder, as will be remarked
hereafter in the letter which treats of
the conflagrations in Iceland,

In fo mountainous a country, where,
there is no agriculture, and no pom-
inerce, except that carried on by bar-
tering of the various commodities on
the arrival of the DaniQi fhips, no
good roads can be expected : they
therefore make ufe of neither carts nor
fledges ; and there are many places in
which it is both difficult and danger-
ous even to ride on horfeback, ,that
have caufed the names ofOfotur, Hal*
favepir, Hofdabrecka, IllakJif, $cc. to
be given to fome roads. Their length
is not. reckoned by the number of
miles, but that of thingyianna-kid y that
is, as far as a man, who is travelling to
a place where juftice is adminiftered,
can go ia one day, which is about
three and a half Swedifli, or four Ice-
landic miles *. Formerly houfes were

* About twenty or twenty-ope Englifh j»Ues.

built

t 57 1
built in* fame particular places for thtf
life of travellers, that w£re called Tbi-
$dbrautar-Jkaalar\ but now the churches
•are every- where made ufe of for this
purpofe. . ' '

When the Icelanders- travel ta lea-*
ports to exchange their fi(h, &c. they
have twenty, thirty, and fometimes a
greater number of horfes with them,
which carry a load of 300 or 400
pounds weight each: but they have al-
ways fome fpare horfes along with
them to relieve thofe that are fatigued :
this cavalcade is called Left, and the
man who guides them is called Lefta-
wiadur ; he rides on before, accompa-
nied with a dog, that, by uttering a
certain word, drives the ftrayed or
ftraggling horfes into the right road.
They never carry any food for their
horfes, as pafture is plenty every
where.

The nctftibjer of the inhabitants is by
no means adequate to the extent of
the country. It has been much larger
in former times ; but befides what is
called the Digerdeatb, and other con-
tagious difeafes, among which the

plague

C 58 3

plague carried off great numbers front
1402 to 14949 mstny places hare been
entirely depopulated by famine. In
the years 1797 and 1708, the frnall«-
pox deftroyed 1 6,000 perfons .; fo that
the wjitiber p£ inhabitants cannot ex-
ceed ^0,000.

L'UTTE R

C 59 3

LETTER IV.
To Chevalier I h r e.

Of the Arrival of the Norwegians j t H
Qoyefnment^ and Laws in Iceland. '•

Stockholm, June 13, 1774.

AS I have treated in my former
letter of the itaftira of t$w
country in Iceland, an enquiry hpMr,
and when it was firft peopled, *»igh$
not perhaps be dif&gredable to yon*

We know very little of the primitive
inhabitants of Iceland, who pofleffed
the country when the Norwegians' firft
landed there. Wie are informed by
feme, that they were Chriftkns, who*
according to the i»oft probable con^
je&utm, arrived there from England
and Ireland, and were called Papa
by libe Norwegians ■*• They prejendi

to

•* The arifient Norwegians, w*ho firfl landed ih Ice-
land, found there inhabitants who were Chriftfens,
and were called by the Norwegians Papas, which is
corije&ured to iignify priefts. This is confirmed by
<bc preface of the Landuama Bok, or Book of Coloni-
zation,

[ 60 ]

to affirm, with the greateft certainty,
that this Englifh colony fettled there
in the beginning of the fifth century ;
but I look upon it as the fafeft way
not to enter at aH upon an affair wrap-
ped up in fnch obfcurity. There is
notwithftanding reafon to fuppofe that
the Englifh and Irifti were acquainted
with this country under another name

zation, written by various authors, the firft of whom
was Are Forde, bora 1068 ; and be exprefsly fays,
in the firft chapter of the book, that Iceland, was
fettled by the Norwegians in the time of Alfred king
of England, and of Edward his fon. The fame
preface mentions, that Beda fpeaks of Iceland under
the name of Thyle, more than a hundred years be-
fore the arrival of the Norwegians in Iceland ; and
that the Norwegians found there Irifti books, bells,
and crofiers, which proved that thefe people came from
the weft. And it is added, that the Englifh books men-
tion an intercourfe of navigation between thefe lands
about thofe times. King Alfred certainly mentions in
his tranflation of Orofius, the utmoft land to the N. W.
of Iceland, called Thila ; and that it is known to few
on account of its great diftance. See Alfred's Orofius,
p. 31. The Landnama Bok was published at Copen-
hagen, 1774, in 4 t °* The circumftance of thelrifh
books left in Iceland is likewife mentioned by the fame
Are Forde, in Ara Multifcii Schedis de Iflandia,
Oxonias, 1716, 8vo, cap, ii. page 10, who fays,
they chofe not to live with the heathens, and fpr that
reafon went away, leaving behind Irilh books, bells,
and crofiers.

long

{ 6i ]

long before the arrival of the Nor-
wegians ; for the celebrated Beda in
his time pretty accurately defcribes it.
JBist I will not dwell upon thefe antient
inhabitants of Iceland, but proceed to
examine how the Norwegians came to
fettle there. Of this we have feveraj
accounts in the Icelandic Sagas *. I
fliall particularly follow Landnama
Bok, that treats of the arrival of thefe
new colonifls.

Naddoddr, a famous pirate, was
driven by the winds on the coaft of
Iceland, on his return from Norway
to the Ferro Gales, in 86 1, and named
the country Snio-land (Snow-land) on
account of the great quantity of fnow
with which he faw the mountains co-
vered. He did not remain there long;
.but however extolled the country fo
much after his return, that oi\e Gardar
Suafarilbn, an enterprizing Swede,
was encouraged by his account to

* The word Saga fignifies the antient hiftorical
monuments in Iceland ; fame of them are the hiftori-
cal relations, others are fabulous (lories in the flyle of
the Arabian Nights. The diftinftion between them
requires a nice critical judgment. As the word occurs
eftej), we once for all explain it here.

[ ft )

£6 in fearch of k in 864. He failed
<fuite round the ifland, and then called
it Gardarfbotmur (Gardar's Iffend).
He remained the whole winter in Ice-
land, and in fpring returned to Nor-
way, where he described the new-di£
Covered ifland as a plealant, well-
wooded country. This excited a de-
fire in Ploke, another Swede, and thfc
greateft navigator of his time, to un-
dertake a voyage thither. As the coto-
"pafs (in Icelandic Leitharftein *} was
not then known, he took three ravens
cm board, to employ them on the dip-
covery. By the way he vifited his
friends at Ferro ; and after having
failed farther to the northward, he
let fly one of his ravens, which re-
turned to Ferro. Some time after he
tRfmiflfed the fecond, which alfo re*
•

* The word L&itharfiem is certainly equfoalctrt to
the Eaglifo word Loadftotte, and probably has the
fame origin. The Anglo Saxon word Lsedan fignifies
to lead; and the magnet, being the leader of the navi*
gate?, it is tor? etf dent that the loadifofie is the lend-
ing fione of the (hip. The hiftory erf the three raffefls
is ifcoft evidently copied from th& hiftory erf the deluge
to Geneiis. Howevfef it proves an ttttcotttMft fagah
€ifcy m the navigator,- ttffefc made tsfe of Wrds for the
firit difcovery of kftl*

i turned

I «8 1

turned to the fliip again, as he could
.find no . land. The laft trial proved
.more fticcefsful, lince the third raven
tool* his, flight to Iceland ; foon after
.they discovered land, and in a few
days really arrived there. Floke ftaye4
here the whole winter with his conv-
pany ; and becaufe he found a great
deal of floating ice on the north fide, he
gave the name of Iceland to the couiv
try., which it has ever, fince retained.

When they returned to Norway ia
the following fummer, Floke, ' and
thofe that had been with him, made a
very different defcription of the coun-
try* If on the one fide Floke de-
{bribed it as a wretched place, Thp*
rulfr (one of his companions in the
voyage) , on the, other fide fo highly
praifed it, that he affirmed butter
dropped from every plant, which gain-
ed him the nick-name of Thorulfr
Smior, or Butter Thorulfr *•

* The eipttffioa that Thorulfr made wfc of in de*
fcribing the fertility and richnefs of the country, cha?
ra&eriz£s the genius and manners of the age he lived
Id, aod is therefore not to be overlooked in this ac-
count, Thefe minute ftrokes paint the chara&er and
fimplicity of the age ; and, when compared with our
Juaoners, fet them off in the faireft point of view.

After

I *4 J

After what I have related, ther? are no
traces of any voyage to Iceland, (ill In-
gblfr and his friend Leifr undertook one
in 874. They foundon their arrival that
the country had not been niifreprqlent-
ed; and refolved, after having fpenuhe
winter on the ifland, to fettle there
entirely for the future. Ingolfr fp*
turned to Norway, to provide what*
ever might be neceflary to accomplifh ^
new and comfortable eftablifhment in
an unfertilized and dreary country ;
and Leifr in the meanwhile went to
affift in the war in England. After an
interval of four years, they met again
in Iceland, the one bringing with
"him a confiderable number of people,
with the neceflary tools and imple-
ments for making the country ha-
bitable ; and the other imported his
acquired treafures. Since this period
ftrany people went there to fettle,
and in fixty years time the whole
ifland was inhabited ; and king Ha-
rold, who did not contribute a little
towards it by his tyrannical treatment
of the petty kings and lords in. Nor-
mandy, was at laft obliged to ifjtie an

order,

t is 1

order, that no one fbould fail From
Norway to Iceland, without paying
four ounces of fine filver to the king,
in order to put a flop* in fottie mea*
ftire, to thofe continual emigrations
which weakened his kingdom,

Though the greateft part of the
inhabitants came from Norway, there
are however many Daftes and Swedes
among them* Of the latter I will
only mention the following, from that*
edition of Landnama Bok, which was
printed at Skallhok* Ingimundur, an
earl in the Gothic empire, - one of the
ctefcendants of Bore, Gore's brother,
p. 90 ; with his friends* Jorundr, Ej-
vindr Sorkver, Afmundr, and Hvate*
fridleifr 5. and his ftaves f ridmundr,
Bodvar, Thorer Reffkegg, and Vlf-
kell, p< 90 : Thordur, defcended by
the father's fide in the fifth degree
from Ragnar Lodbrock, p< i&Z'- Thor->
dur Knappur, ftatural fon of Biorns
of Haga; and Nafar Helge, p. 104:
Bruni Hin Hviti, (on of Hareks,
earl of Upland, p. 1 04 : Thormo*
dur Hin Rami, p. 105: Biorn Rolf-*
flbn of the blood royal, p< 105 :
E Helgi

166)

Hclgi Hin Magri, p. 107: Tho'rir
Snepill, a fon of Joruns, daughter of
the Lagman Thorgnys, p. 117; and
Gardarluafarfort. Beiides thefe, Are
Frode mentions one of the name of
Olafr, who was of the fame family as
king Harold ; another of the name of
Hrollangur, brother of Rolfs firft duke
of Norjnandy, who drew his origin
from the SwediQi king Gore, grand-
father of Gylfe.

Torfaus mentions one Bodvar, a
Swede, who fettled in Iceland, and
was defcendant of the princeft Goja,
fifter of Gore: Floke, who gave to
the ifland its prefent name of Iceland,
was defcended from the fame family.
Dalin, in his preface to the firft vo-
lume of his Swediih hiftory, likewife
mentions, out of Peringfkold and
Biorner, the following : Snobjorn,
Biorn Oftrane, . Grim, Orm Wedorm^
Biorn, and Grimkill, with their mo-
ther Helga, daughter of. Harold, Bar-
der Snefallfas, Barder Wiking, Brimle,
Hielm, Gote, Skolder Svenfke, Gla-
mer, Wafur H?lge, and S]attub)orn.

As

. t «5> 1

As often as a new Colony Arrived
there, the principal perfon in the
company appropriated to himfelf as
large; a part of the country as he wa$
able to occupy, and gave up as much
of it as he thought fit to his compani*
ons, whole chief he was, bearing th*
xitle of Godi; But in a period when
robberies and violence, hy fea.apd
land, were confidered as valour and
merit, peace could riot long, fubfiffc
between the neighbouring leaders*
There are every where inftances *o be
met with in the Icelandic Sagas of
battles between the new -arid original
fettlers; . To prevent theft .-conflict, in
future, a/peribn^wa f s chofcn \ix the
year 928, ivith the title of Lang-
fauguniadur* arid great power ?md
dignity conferred upon him* This
man was the fpeaker in all their pub-
lic deliberations, pronounced fep.tenctr
in difficult and intricate cafe's,, decided
all difputes, and publUhed netf laws
.after they had; beenu received and ap-
proved of by the people at large ; frut
he bad no power to ijte&e J&Wjfe without
the approbation and v to»fep| -qf *he
E 2 feft#

t « 1

reft* He therefore aflemhled the chiefs
whenever the circumftances feemed to
require it ; and after they had deli-
berated among themfelves, he repre-
fented the opinion of the majority to
the people, whofe aflent was neceOTary
before it could be coniidered as a law.
His authority among the chiefs and
leaders was however inconfiderable, as
he was chofen by them, and retained
his place no longer than whilft he
had the good fortune to preferve their
confidence.

Their firfl: form of government
was confequently a mixture of ari-
flocracy and democracy ; but all the
regulations made by it were inef-
ficient to maintain order among fo
many chiefs, who, though all of the
fame rank, were differently inclined,
and unequal 'm power- Nothing was
therefore more frequent than rapine
and violation of the laws. They
openly made war againft ohe an-
other, examples of tfhich are to .be
~ifiet with in the Sturiuhga Saga,
tofiere* it is fakf, twenty veffelt carry -
4i>g I36O men, had a bloody engage-
r ' r ± - ment

t «5> )

meat, which fo weakened the contend*
. ing parties, that their whole power at
iaft became an eafy prey to a few ar-
bitrary and enterprixing men, who,
as is too generally the cafe, wantonly
abufed it, to the oppreflbn of their
countrymen, and the difgrace of hu-
manity *v

Notwithstanding all thefe inteftine
troubles, they remained entirely free
from the Norwegian yoke; though the
kings of that country, fince the time of
Harold Harfagers, viewed this new and
powerful republic with envious eyes,
which, though now feparated, ow<d its
origin to them j but at laft they expe-
rienced that fate, which is almoft al-
ways inevitable, wherever liberty dege-
nerates into licentioufnefs, and public
fpirit ititofelfifh views j thatis, they were
obliged to fubmit to one chief. The
greateftpart of the inhabitants in 1 261 ,
put therafelves under the protection of
kingHakan, and promifed to pay tribute

* The account of the origin of the Icelandic re-
public is a curious and interefting circumftancefor the
Jiiftory of humanity ; the fame muft be faid of the
inteftine feuds which gave an opportunity to the Nor*
wegian kings to eftablifh theij^ authority over thU
once free nation,

E 3 to

I 7* ]

to him on certain conditions agreed
upon between them, and the reft fol-
lowed their example in 1264. -Afterr
wards Iceland, together with Norway,
became fubjedt to. the crown of. Den-
mark, who intrufted the carp of it to a
governor, that commonly went there
only once a year to examine every
thing, though, according to his inftruc-
tions, he ought to have redded* there.
As the country fiiffered incredibly
through the abfence of its command-
ers, it was refolved a few years ago,
th^t the governor/ fbould ; refide there
continually, and have his feat at Bef-
le^ledr, one of the rctyal domains,
where bid Stiorre ^tudefp.n formerly
dwelt. He has. undef hint a bailiff,
two lagmen, a iheriff, and tweiity-onp
fyjjflmen f • Formerly the country

was

* The place of Amman is here traoUdted Bailiff,
3pd is to hfi taken in the fenfe in which the French
receive the word Bailiff, 1. e. the head of a Baili-
wick, The word Lagman fignifie* properly a Law-
man; i. e.- a perfon who adminifters juftice, and
plight be tranfla^ed Judge or Juftlce. The Landvogt is
%i\z perfoti who ^dminiifers the executive power pf
juftice arid the criminal Jaw; and he may. be corn-
pared to a (heriflf. The Syffelmen are the magiftrates
of the fmailer ciiftrifts in Iceland (called the SyJJel)
Who not only aft as juilices of the peace, 'but alfo'as

receivers

t 7i 1

Was divided into quarters {Fiordungar)
each havihg its own court of juftice,
of Which one was formed of their
public affemblies, under the denomi-
nation of Fior dungs-do eme * . But as
the public fecurity Teemed to require
a fuperior court of judicature, to
which the. (offering party might aj>
peair a Fimtar-Hoeme \vas : eftablifhed
loon after^ the ihtrodu&ion bf the
Chriftian religion, which triburfal con-*
Med 'of '^the- fottf above^mehtlonecj
court^l and 4om& ciergytntri;

j^terrdf; ihe'i&fia-KlK- TM governor is called to

;]oplaad Stiftt-aTntmaut ■ which; if the fatoe *$ a bailiff
or. the epifcopat dibcefe ; i. e. the chief magistrate of

^tWXfeEid. This^>fci&? was -oectfpied 101772 by Mr.
Tfrodsl, coqofcjk)* ojrjpftwe," who. hadAicn employed
in tfee- g^al adjiiftipent ,of .the limits J^ween Sweden
anff Norway; hi* falary amounted to 1500 rix-dollars.
Travellers praife his abilities, patriotifm, and hof-

ju^lky f , The bailiff ft jhe time p^oyf arfiyal in
Iceland was Mr. Olarr Stephanfjon, a naiive.of Ice.-

"lam!/ whofe 1 parts ah* abilhies we 3<Jmired, and
tVbfife V^iwliry w*. ^iperfcncied 1 , hmhhty is 400
VijCrdolJar* 5 and ^the, ^am^ >ppqlntt«e|U} j* givep. %Q

. rfirf {h&iff {Laadvogi) Mr. Skufe M^'griufen, who >

' £u4^dL io*efcf te well of hi* f country fot fcS ffefiffotifm
and eminent fervices.

.* The words Tiordung&dpemt and ^Frntafi-deme
ifJBftill inpart preferred in the language^ for t Do9m&
4^ is toe day of judgment, from th^ Gothic word
Dvhn, to judge, wife whidi the fenglitn word Dooip
corresponds,

" ;v - cv E 4 At

[ 7* J

At prefent all cay.fps are firft decided

. at the Harhfa-thing) or county court,

from Wjiichthc parties concerned f m^y

appeal to the jdl-thing, or common pcwrf

of juftice, which is kept every yf%x ofi

the ^th of ; July at ThingyaUa^ r;H«? c

there are two courts, tjie one fyefoge

which t^ie caufe in appeal \s fyrfi

brought,. . and confifts entirely of Iqgr

\men*i the, oilier to which rec^rte

jnay $e hsd for p, now bearings 3R*I

^more a9fi»F^tp examination the fp$*

lowing ygafcf and,tJ#9 fccomgofcdLgf

the governor, who preiides, and twelve

affeffbrs> who are the mdk rdpe£tafale

men in -the country, rn<^y1agmfya%i&

fyjfetmen/ Fjtoqi this cquirt the ^ir^

iinay again appeal to thfc> ftfprraaecktfirt

of judfratitre at Copenhagen, \$wl*'}s

final, ..: -.i'r

The Norwegians, ojfTtheiir fiflt it^
rival in Iceland, ni^diih^if pwja JaWs 5
but thefe proving inftrfli^knt; Wh^ft
the htiinKfet of p^pp\e ibi^rea^, j ' tfc
ftiotr undertook, 41^' the year 15^1 a

i 3i.ivfi.

j ij...*

; * -ftit tbeTa&e.tirae artf at j&e.fa.roje pf?£ e c $£ Ri-
tual cbyrt^lk^PreJldjefjfia iV^eld, Svfiircm'tbijgo-
verrfarjln^ are the/ajef-

voyage

i

I 7Z ]
voyage to Norway, and compofed an
accurate cpde of laws, from the regu-
lations eftabiiftied there* He made ufe
of the Gulothing law on tins occafion*
and retlttiied to his' native country
after an abfcnpe pf three, years.!

In itt8/thb Gra^its, a famous an-
cient code of laws, Was received there ;
and in 1 280, that called the Jonsbok *,
aecorAiftg^ to which fentence is dill
tpfon&ufi&ed' in fome caffrs ; but *t
^efent Aftoft < matters are decided
^fter the Partifli law, m& fortie motfe
•&cem Regulations*

^0 Icelandic (^jiyoaiclc, puWUJx^ "
~ftconcl volume of the Scriptoresl

,90 Icelandic ^jtyoajcle, j)uMUJx$d. Jjy^^ngcbcckin-th?
"ftconcl volume of the Scriptores*fiift.'„P*n, *

j

w*, .^ I... 1

■■»■■» './;//

UTTER

" LETTER Vl//

To Chevalier Ihre.

m Qwtfrning Eccleftajliqal Jffrirs in Ice*
* land. !

Stockholm, . juiw 2 2 : » 1 77a. [

IT is known from the : taiidii}^pia Bok,
and, the Ar^jSehedis, jtbftfc the N^-
jiYSgjans fouad ,fome Sfftfi© #£ Qhtif-
tianity on their ^niv^l r in Jqdand.
There were alfo fome few Chriftians
camong thefe netir colorafts, **ho* how-
ever, fopn atobftatized to .jfcre"; heatheft
religion, fo that it became general
there. It is not known whether any
attempts had been made to intrcK
duce the Chriftian religion before the
year 981, when a certain bifhop Frie«*
dric arrived there from Saxony, and
was obliged to return, after a ftay of
five years, without having piade any
great ptogrefs.

fl .^i^vfvef , $. church was built in 984*
by Tliorvard fJoclvarfTon, and fome

perfons

C -75 . 3

performs received bjiptifm j but others,
plough they h$d no ; objection to the
Chriftian do&rine, could not be pre-
vailed upon to fuffer themfelvefclo be
b^ptizpd, as they pretended it would
be indecent to g<? naked into the wa-
fer like little boys to receive baptifrii,
which, according to, the cuftom of
thofe times,., could pnlybe don&.by
fubmerfjon* $q?xw> however, t.Q*4bew >

. their detjfftatjon of :pag4piftn, fttffered
themfeivesXo be figfted with thecrgfs,

-tyblchtl^r99\l$$;Pr$wfigning. Thefe
,were / nof cop(idere4. either :»s Chris-
tians or Jfle^theas;; however, they were
flowed tq eat yv\%h the former* and
to be buried clofeto thechurch-yard^
Olqf ^T?yggva(Io« ; afterwards ient

^hem^t^fr ^ ThorgHf|pn, > and ftfter him
his chapfain Thangbrand, a German
lpy bird} £ 4>u£ they wpffeboth received
with ftones r and ^bufiye language* as
they attempted to convert th^m, which
happened to be : at the very (pot .where u
|he common court of. juftice was. held/:
nor were they fpared by the poeta of
the country, who, being bribed for
the purpofe, poured forth in their

-[ 76 ]

poetical produ&iofts the keeneft in-
"ve&ives and fatire upon tbefe cham-
pions of the Chriftian religion.

However, the Icelanders obtained
Tome knowledge of the Chriftian doe-
trine, which by degrees operated upon
.their minds. Some df them refufed to
contribute at>y more towards the ido-
latrous facrifices, fend wifhed'to en-
joy more circumftantial and cet taiA In-
struction in the Chriftian religion ; (b
•tb?ro** the arrivalof Giffiar and HjaRi
in the yeaF iooo, the whole country
was converted without bloodshed, tho*
not without opposition. They alfo ob-
tained a jus canonicum from bifliojp

' Grimkell *, drawn up by himfelf, which
^as as valid as a law till 1133, when it
Was again revifed by bifhops Thorlak
rwirdKetifll f . <

After this time'monks and convents
<SbQttfcd3el r In the country. Many
tffumks of the order of St; Beuedi&and

« ^ftHj-Auftin fettled there, anrf r ^he peo-
:ple $>aida tribute to the Roman fee,

- ' # SeeKriftniS Saga, printed at Copenhagen, 1776^
•ioSvo.p. 57. ' , , :.

. -. f Thp cammtew imprinted at Cogeahagen, 1776,
In §vo, *

- ^ as

t 77 1

ad well as other European nations,
which confifted in ontnagli y ten of
which were equal to one ell of two
feet *.

That Rome did not lofe light of
Iceland, though ever fo diftant, can
be proved by thte bifhop of Skallholt,
Arne Thorlakfon, keeping his own
agent, Sighvatr Lande, canon of Dron*
theim, at the fecond council of Lyons,
which was convened by Gregory I. in
the year 1 274; and that the Icelanders
did not yield in zeal to their fellow
Chriftians, appears by the wiUingnefe
with which they contributed both men
and money to the crufades that were
then in faihioru

Amongft other faints, the bifliop
pf Hoolum, John Ogmundflbn, and
the biflxop of Skailholt, Thorlak
ThorhallfTon, were worshipped: thelaft
died in 1193, and though he was not
canonized by any pope, yet he found

* The value of all things is fettled in Iceland by
«lk of ivadmal, which is a coarfe woollen ftuff of thdk
own manufacturing : the. fee of Rome taxed every
map *ln Iceland as high as the valucnfiieoiieUs t£
xvadmL .-.•«.■

woriBhippeffi

Worfliippers in Iceland #, Denmark,
Norway, England, Scotland, the Ork*
heys, the Ferro iflands, and iri Green x
land,, arid even had a church dedi a
cited to him in Conftantinople. His
Saga is full of miracles, faid to have
been wrought by him. It was unani-*
moufly agreed, that the tenth of Ja-
nuary, the day on which he died, and
the third of July, when he Was eledled
bifhop, fhould both be annually cele-
brated. His body was taken out of
the grave on the thirteenth of Auguft
1198, and put into a coffin plated
with gold and filver ; and it was re-
vived to keep this day alfo as a fefti-
val. The proteftant bifliop Giflur Ej*
narflon, afterwards, from a miftaken
2eal, caufed the precious ornament*
with which the box was adorned to be
broken off, and had it covered with
copper gilt, and it is ftill preferved in

* Bjftipp Finnfen in his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory men-
tions (vol. i. p. 298, note b.) t That bifhop Thorlak
had been likewife worfhipped as a faint in Sweden,
but there are do veftiges of this found in theold Swe-
difti Calendars, The tenth of January is coriecratcd
to Paulus Eremita, and Auguft the thirteenth to Hip-
polttus and Lociis Martii,

the

t 79 I

the church of: Skallholt, as a piece of
antiquity. la the yp*VrJ7 l 5f biihop
John Widalin . ordered t;he pretended
relique to be buried, and only a bit of
his fkull is (hewn, which, however, if
clofely examined, will be found to be
neither, more nor lefs than a piece
of cocoa-fhdl. Arcimboldus, fo fa-
mous in the north for his fale of
indulgences, was much too attentive
to his intereft to have negktted Ice-
land* In 151 7 he had his own agent
there, who was, however, more coldly
received by biihop Stephen Jonflbn
than he expefted.

The Icelanders firft received their
own bifliops in the year 1057 at Skall-
holt, and at floolum in 1 107. They
were originally under^ the jurifdidlon
of the archbifhop of Bremen and Ham-
burgh ; but in the year 1 103 or 4,
they became fubordinateto Azerus *,
firft archbifihop of Lund in Scania,
and in 1 1 52 to the bifliop of Dron-
theim. The Icelanders preferve the
memory of their prelates both in their

* In the Icelandic annals he is commonly called
4*Jfur.

annual

£ 8a 1

annual regifters, and in their &aga$,
Which particularly deferves attention,
fince the actions of many worthy men
are alfo found recorded therein.* I
(hall mention the deplorable end of,
one of their bUhops, John Jerechini * f
by birth a Dane, who, from provoft
and ele<flus of WefteraSy was ap*
pointed archbi&op of Upfal, by king
Erich PommerofFn in 1409. In this
exalted Situation he behaved fo ill
that he was obliged to fly to Den-
mark in 141 9 : from whence, accord-
ing to the account of the Icelandic
regifters, he made the beft of his way
to England, and from thence took his
paflage for Iceland, where he did not
arrive till the year 1430. He was
received by the inhabitants with open
arms, and appointed* to the fee of
Skallholt, which had been vacant
eleven years. But here alfo he difco-
vered fo much pride and felfiftmefs,
that fome of the principal perfons in
the country entered into a corifpiraey,
and when he was celebrating ni&fs ift

* The Icelandic tinnals- call him Jon Geirreckflon,
5 the.

[ 8* ]

the cathedral church, on the thirteenth
of Auguft 1433, in commemoration
of St. Thorlak, they took ,him by-
force from the altar, ft ripped him of
all his epifcopal ornaments, and putting
him into a fack, with a large ftone
round his neck, threw him into the river
Bruar, which runs by Skallholt, from
whence his body was afterwards taken,
_and buried in the cathedral church *.

King Chriftian III. began to intro-
duce the Lutheran religion in the year
1540 ; but the zeal with which the
bifhops (who were then very' power-
ful) oppofed him, prevented him from
fucceedingin it till the year 1551*

Since that period, the church of Ice**
land has enjoyed a happy tranquillity,
every feed of difcord being (uppreflTe4
in its rife, though fome attempts were
made to difleminate evil.

Iceland is divided into 189 pariflies,
of which izy belong to tfce fee of
Skallholt, and 63 to that of Hoolunu

* This account will fervc to correct what is erro?
neous inRhyzelii Epifcopofcopia, where the typogra-
phical faults in Perinfkbld's Monutnenta Uplandica,
vq!. I- p. 155, have been copied. Vide Finn. Hift.
Reel. Man, vol. IU p.471,

F All

[ 82 3 -

All the minifters are natives or Ice-
landers, and receive a yearly falary of
400 or 500 rix-doilars from the king,
exclufive of what they have from their
congregation s,

LETER

£ *3 1

L E T T E R VI.

Td Chevalier Ihre.

tf the CharaBer and Manner of Life of
the Icelanders.

Stockholm, Sept* i, 1774.

IN a former letter I treated of the
arrival of die Norwegians in Ice-
land, of their firft form of govern-
mettt, and the changes they experi-
enced through their own mifmanage-
meftt and the viciffitudes of time :
give me leave, Sir, to draw now your
attention to their character and way
of life. ;

^ In like manner as their anceftors
lived only by war, piracy, the chace,
attd agriculture^ fo our new Icelandic
colonifts were ftrangers to any fame
but that acquired by the ftrength of
their^arm; and knew no exercifes but
fuch as a hardened body was able to
fupport.;* (

F 2 " " To

t ** 1

To go to war, to plunder, burn,
deftroy,/,and farmouot e*ery ohftacle
that oppofcd their defigns, they deem"
ed the fureft pa£h torimmortalitj; •; even
their games gave them an opportunity
of exercifing tjieir.ftrengxh as r we}l ^a.
agility "or body. .'•.•'.', ' ' '*

Glimu-Iiji, or the' art of wreftling,
was general among them.* though,
it fe'^hfentJoTltfd^n^elpoftr hiftories,
that Xhe'tc Avnncl -ftatftiwiea-idade y&fk
ef in. .»i?tifi«! wtodtt wfes '&)& !$*&/&
toki. »ai*d'ids ,ah« ifeftieilast "vfb^kw^
eattrfyipp^fig «p elifi-herfs, \:M)}m«^.i
or the. art ,pf : fen«i»& *a*r,ftttl &B9BS
coowliotkj; fotf>th<Higjh thejR trmfce<J(Oji<a
another pretty rougfcty ojv.*He&,p$e&fT
flows*, yet &oie .«tte9ife£krt<. wore; wj%aj:B
ing which a weaker arm may aSigffr
fcot ftpplyi'id-hb; aikftntflge^poaioc-'.

tha* r QRer»if« : w«jj lteld ,pifth«.4tf:mf)ft
^<s&ttQn.by theraw#ifcGUvafri«fil§t>rAf
WdsfctenJn-tfotr fswgt* ■•■:. rWhhpM^^
kind of fingle combat, to whicjjts^^
^ight challenge "any o^e who was de-»

iirou

<ir«*tis-to be recorded in the aiinats of*
fame; Life or, defeith was alike indiffe-
rent to thefe combatants; and it was
deemed a noble art to understand well
how to (harped ! the inftraoients: of
death, a? may be feen by Rigftkutu*

The fituation in which the Icelanders
were, in regard to *he kings of Norway*
who always kept' » watchful eye .over
them, and ibught every -opportunity to
fqbjugate them, obliged them to have
recourse to other ftates fop a knowledge
of government *aqd literature* Forthi*
purpofe they often ikifed tQ Nortfay*
Denmark, Sweden,* Eingla^id, m£
Scotland* ThaJratellerSy at their re+
tuvn 4 were obliged tt^ give anaccounit
to. dheir chiefs pff th« ftate of thoft
kingdoms through , which they had
pafled. 5or : this ireafon: hiftory, tnd
what related to icieaaicc, was held in
high repute, as k>ag:ad tjiff? republican
farm of government lafted;; aod th«
great number of Sagas* and: hiftorif*
which are to be met with in the conn*
Jtry, if not .oil equally h»p«rt#ot, foe*t
3t leaft the defire they had of bemfr
inftru<5ted* , ' -i' !-..'.
■ - F 3 During

[ 86 ]

During this time Greenland was
difcovered by an Icelander, Eyrek
Rauda, in 932 ; and America in 1001,
by Bioru Herjulfsfon and Leif Erichflbn.

To fecure themfelves, therefore*
againft their powerful neighbours,
they were obliged to enlarge their his-
torical knowledge ; they likewife took
great pains in ftudying perfedly their
own laws, for the maintenance and
protection of their internal fecurity.
Thus Iceland, at the time when igno-
rance and obfcurity pervaded the reft
of Europe, was enabled to produce a
confiderable number of poets and his-
torians. When the Chriftian religion
was introduced there, more were found
converfant in the law, than could have
been expe&ed, considering the extent
of the country, and the number of its
inhabitants. Fifhing was followed
among them ; but they devoted their
attention more confiderably to agricul-
ture*, which has fi nee entirely ceafed.

* Hans Flnflen, in his letter on the feafiblenefs
of agriculture in Iceland, Copenhagen, 1772, Svo*
■demonftrates this by a written document during the
time of Snorre Sturlefon, pag. 64, which likewife
appears from Landaama Bok, chap. 21.

Two

t 87 ]

Two things have principally con-
tributed towards producing a great
change both in their chara&er and
way of life, viz. the •progrefs of the
Chriftian religion under Olof Trigg-
waftbn, and the Jofs of their liberty
under king Harold. For if religion,
on one fide, commanded them to de-
iift from their ravages and warlike ex-
peditions ; the fecular power, on the
other, deprived them of the neceflary
forces for the execution of them ;
fince this time we find no farther
traces of their heroic deeds, except
thofe which are preferved in their
hiftories. Our prefent Icelanders give
the preference to fifliing, aiid the care
of their cattle, to war.

The. Icelanders are middle-fized and
well-made, though not very ftrong ;
and the women are in general ill-fea-
tured. The men have left pff the cus-
tom of wearing beards long ago, though
you find them reprefented with beards
hi Eggert Olaften's Travels through
Iceland ; a drawing which, perhaps,
Way reprefent an inhabitant of Sond-
F4 m&fer,

[ fc,1

Ittoer, in Norway, but by no meatis
an Icelander **

Vices are indeed much left common
among them than in other parts,
where riches and luxury havfc cor-
rupted the morals of the people*
Theft is feldoni heard of ; nor are
they inclined to incontinence, though
there are examples of perfons having
been punifhed more than once on that
account*

Though their poverty difables them
from imitating the hofpitality of their
anceftors in all refpefts, yet the defire
of doing it (till exifts : they cheer-
fully give away the little they have to
fpare, and exprefs the utmoft joy &nd
fatisfa&ian if you are pleafed with
their gift* When they want to (hew

* This, however, is fabjeft to forne exceptions;
for the inhabitants of Omuod Fiorden, aad fome
families on the north fide of the .ifland, ftill wear
beards \ atid in Foifkadal lives a. man named Benedict,
known on account of his beard. Between 1740
and 1750 it happened, .between the icy mountains'
- of Sheefaelds Jokne, that tW brethren dividing be-
tween -ikemfclves * the inheritance left them by their
father, one of them, caJled-Helge, gave his brother
four rix-dollars for the oiclu five right of Wearing^
beard ; which right, iin their family, was the foie
prerogative of their late father.

5 them-

tjiemfelves particutatfly ' affeflfonate*
they kifs one another oti the mouth
on their vifits ; they do the fam£ to
the huiband and the wife, the mother*
and the daughter i they are uncom*
monly obliging and faithful, and ex*
tremely attached to government **.
They are very zealous in their reli* '
gion t> ;^nd it muft be owned not
entirely fre<? from fuperftitibru They
have an inexpredtble 'attachment for
their native country i and are no where
fb happy*: Aa Icelftnder^ tlierefor^

*■ To preveaJt TwggUng, there is a fevere penalty
for piloting a ftra^ge (hip id to harbour. When the?
phUofophic travellers made the'coif^ tKey were under
peceffity to force an ' Icelander tix ftay on board, and t0
fare them a§ i* pilot. And fliitfgh appeafed by good
treatment and prints; he peyer&elefs, carried the
ihip to an tfoiafe plajce, tijl the governor granted his
leave to bring the (hip to a iafe anchotage. When the
reafon of thfe.ftrapge behaviour was afted, the Ice*
lander anfwered, he would rafh/erfufFer himfelf to bef
cut in pieces, than to a& agaiofl the regulations of bfe
king. It is however told, that the inhabitants on the
norther© coaft are not quite fo docile, and therefore
iefs obfequiouj.

t An Icelander never pafles a riWr, or any other
dangerous place, without previoufly taking off his hat,
add imploring .divine protection ; and he is always
thankful for the protection of God, when he has
jpfeifcd the danger.

rarely

[ 9° 3
rarely fettles in Copenhagen, though
ever fo advantageous conditions fhould
be offered him *.

* It feems that Providenee has wifely inftilled into
the human heart the love of that foil whereon a man b
born, and probably with a view that thofe places, which
are not favoured by nature with her choiceft blefT-
ings, may not be left without inhabitants. It may be
affirmed with fome degree of certainty, that the love
of ones native place increafes inaninverfe ratio of its
having received favours from nature. A Frenchman
feldom or never feels that longing defire for his home,
which all Swedes are fenfible of. A peafant of Scania
(a rich country in a mild climate) eats his hafty-pud-
ding (the favourite difli in Scania) with equal pleafure
and enjoyment in whatever place it be; pat a native
of'Elfredhal and Sarna (places ill-favoured by nature)
thinks his bread made of floor, mixed with the bark
of trees, in his own country, more preferable to the
beft difhes he eats in another. The chlefeft wifli of
a Switzer is to die in bis own country. When a
Switzer in the French army fung a certain fong to
bis countrymen in the lafl war, there arofe in the
breafts of all that heard him foch a difeafe-like long-
ing for their native country, that it became abfo-
lutely neceflary to the French generals to give the
ftri&eft injunctions, that this fongChould never be heard
again in the camp. This will appear incredible to thofe
who are acquainted with no other happinefs than that
which is produced by the enjoyment of affluence,
luxury, and voluptuoufnefs. It always recalls to the
memory that fine pafTage in Seneca : " Ulyfles ad
" Ithaca fuse faxaproperat, quemadmodum Agamem-
M gon ad Mycenarum nobiles muros ; nemo enim pa-
" triam anut, quia magna, fed quia fua."

o^

[ 9 1 ■ 1 .

On the other hand, one cannot
afcribe any great indufiry to them ;
they work on in the manner they are
once ufed to, without thinking of
ufeful improvements«; Perhaps this
defeat lies more in the govern ment,
who, being unacquainted with the
nature of the country, did not make
the neceflary difpofitions and regula-
tions for creating and encouraging
induftry. They are not cheerful in
conversation, but fimple and credu-
lous, and have no averfion to a bottle
if they can find opportunity ; but it
may eafily be conceived, that this is
not to be underftood of all without
exception . When they meet together,
their chief pa ft i me corififts in reading
their hiftory (faugulejiur) ; the mafter
of the houfe begins, and the reft con*
tinue in their turns when he is tired-
Some of them know thefe ftories by
heart, others have them in print, and
others have them in writing* One of
thefe paftimes is rumulejiur, confifting
4n the reciting fome verfes, that fbme-
times are bad enough fung. They
befides amufe themfelves in their meet-
ings

£'**]■

itigs with \rfiat they call ivifaiiidUi
where a man and. woman take one
another by the hand, and by turns
fing itanzas, which are a ; kipd of dia-
logue, and to which the company
fometimes join in chorus. . Thb how*
ever affords little amufement to a
ftranger, as they generally fing very
bad* without obferving time, or any
other grace, particularly as they have
Hot the leaft knowledge of the. modern:
improvements in mufic*.

To their diver (ions like wife belongs
that called glaeder^ where one among
them is difguifed ; ringbrud, where ten
Or twelve men join hands* and form a
ting in dancing? and it is reckoned a
great dexterity to break through the
ring* without deftfoying their order ;
glimu lift, which has been mentioned
before, and means wreftling } hnatt
hikur, or playing with bowls on the

* I obferved twokiads of mufical inftruments iq
Iceland, one called laangjpit, with fix brafs firings ;
the other called jfdfo, with two ftriflgs made of horfes
hair : both are played by a how. I JiHewife heard of t
another inftrurne&t, Qriled/ymfibon, but I never could
get a fight of it.

ice ;

I ** } *

Ice; lyftridin, or riding races for a
wager, &c* .

They are famous for playing at chefs,
and had formerly two forts of this
game ; oh^ of which waa called jung-
frufchach (ladies chefs) and the other
riddare fekacb* (knights chefs) ,: at
prefent only the laft is common.
They .^lfo an>ufc th$mfelves,with kotra
(a gatne^aF iat>les) tliey play on it,
forMerunr or olofstafL whea the taWe

V^ r^/Fil^ without

di<;e, acwrcfirig/td . an j>ld .fbng th#t

W^^Jp^ thelo

gapies ^ne^rTiaye .otters*"^
Faringar/tflM. '^xxA^Goda^afl^ - Thsy
^Jfo pifjy lame, S^?|kat^ards^ : ?^l^
idlkorL t . tkdndlarrYrT ^ruPbill % and
fJWphw* i}U tnefe games are merely
for amusement fince they never play
for mqi^y* /? which .fepms however J£
-j^aye :|?>e£ii formerly a cuftom among
jtWm;. £q$ *.in one/ of their old laws
a.ftnejs laid qii.thofe wlio fjiould.play

* Vide letter of .^mus Mj gnat tq WirfaSn,' commu-
rie*t«&tbHfaeifc^i&r^ ' >

L E T TER

[ 94 ]

LETTER VII.

To Chevalier Ihre.
. : Of the Drefs of the Icelanders. .

Stockholm, Sept. 6, 1774.

nPHE Icelanders have made very
X few alterations, if attyV tft their
drefs in modern times. It is not ele-
gant or ornamental; but yet n&t,
cleanly, and fuited to the climate.
The men all wear a linen (hirt next to
the fkin, with a fihort jacket, arid wide
pair of breeches over it* When they
travel they wear another (hbrt coat
{hernia) over it. All this is made of
coarfe black cloth {wadmal) ; only
the inhabitants on the north fide of
Afriarfiord wear white cioaths. On
the head they wear large three coiv
nered hats, and on their feet worfted
(lockings and Icelandic (hoes.

Some. of them have (hoes from Co-
penhagen, but as they are rather too

dear

t 95 1

dear they generally make their own
fhoes, fometimes of ox hide, but
tnoftly of Cheep's leather : the manner
in which they make them is thus;
they cut a fquare piece of leather, ra-
ther wider than the length of the foot,
this they fow up at the toes, and be-
hind at the heel, and tie it on with
leather thoffgs. Thefe (hoes are con-
venient enough where the country id
level ;• but it would be very difficult
for us, who are not ufed to them, to
go amongft the rocks and ftones,
though thtf Icelanders do it with great
eafe. I fliall fpeak . of their fidiing
doaths hereafter.

The women are likewise always
drefTed in black -wadmal: they wear
a bodice (uppblutur) over their fhifts,
which are fe wed up at the bofom ;
and above this a jacket laced before,
with long harrow fleeves reaching
down to the wrifts. In the opening
on the fide of the fleeve they have
chafed buttons, with a plate fixed to
each button, on which the bridegroom,
when he buys them, in order to pre-
fect to his bride, takes care to have
% his

\m laameand.bfir^^wgrwcrf^ At* the
top of the jacket ;a litde black collar is
fixed (Jirututt) of about thrfee inches
broad, of velret 9J* ftlk,v<aoid frequently
trimmed . wi«h g^djCpard. < The petti?
9mi\*ltkew&&tfi»a<total> a&dfsaehds
cMvfri to ,the* ancles. Kourid the to{»
elf it U-M glrdte offilYfer,. orfpme otheif
mc&al, to cwhk hT tkty fitften. the apron
{fvint#)+ wbtehis alto of whmh and
odrrtamtnted at ;top: withi chafed but*
tan§ # Over :tim drefe tWjc \year a
fe»|MJ WL;up£«r; cfartfs, fisearly re*
fewbjirtg /tlxrftc bfr^ptt&ntt . at Win-
gldWtfiinr&tedfc*!, ^kh;tllw^diflrereBCe>
that it is wider at .bo&xmti this wis
ctefe at tite^ack^aBd* wrtfts, and a
hand's, bt^adih fliorter thdnith* pfctti*
poac It is adorned wuhai facing do^»
$a the very bottom, .whieh loeks like
cut velvet* and is genei&Uy wove by
fhe Icelandic women* .On their ftnr
gears they wear many gokt* filvear, dp
Waft rings* Their head-drefs coar»
iifts of feveral cloths wrapped rouad
the head, almofl: as high again as the
face ; it is tied faft with a filk hand-*
kerchief, and ferves more for warmth

than

tiiaa ornament •: girls are not allowed
to wear this head-drefs before they
are marriageable* At their weddings
they are adorned in a very particular
manner 5 the bride wears clofe to the
face, round her head-drefs* a crown of
ljilver gilt* She has two chains rou^nd
ber neck, one of which hangs dowii
very low before, and the other refts
on her .(boulders* Beiidcs theie (he
wears a lefler chain on the neck, from
tohich *a heart generally .hangsj which
may be opened to put balfam or fome
other kind of perfiimd into it.

The drefs here described is worn by
&I1 the Icelandic \votnen, high and low,
without exception ; with this dif-
ference, that the poorer fort have it
of coarfe wadmal, with ornaments of
brafs ; and thofe that are eafier in
their cir cumftances of broad cloth*
with (liver ornaments gilt. I faw
one of thefe drefles* which belonged
to the .bailiff's wife, and was worth at
leaft three hundred dollars. Perhaps
it would not be difagreeable to perufe
a lift of the different articles which
Con*pqffe an Icelandic woman's drefs,
G one

1

one df which Mr. Banks bought * lh
order to take to England, with his
other Icelandic colle&ions.

Hempa (upper drefe) —
Hattve (travelling hat) —
Upphlutur (bodice)
Svinta (apron) —
Treja (jacket) — —
Mallinda (girdle) —

Fat (petticoat) —

Kjedja (chain) — • —

Laufa prionar (bodkins orna

mented with filver)
Koffur (fillet) — —

Erma knappar (fleeve-buttons)
£>uen vetlingar (rough gloves)
Aubreida (a cloth to wrap 7

their cloaths in) 3

Riz
Dol.

Shil.
Dan.

4

O

5

O

* 6

24
O

4
6

O
O

8

O

4

O

6

a

9

2

) I
O

*4
46

L ETT E R

t 99. 1

LETTER VIII.
To Chevalier Ihre.

Of the Houfes and Buildings of the Ice-
landers.

Stockholm; Sept, 18, 1^74'

TfiE houfes of the Icelanders are
-not alike thrmrghout the country*
According to fdme defcripfions, they
are tolerable on; the north ffcde of tlid
Ifland;-btit on that part of Iceland
whttchi have; feen, -they wqre all en-
trenyely bad, excepting thfcle of the.
governor at BefTeftedr, the phyfician's
at Seltiarnarnes^and J;be meriffe at
Wido, that were built of ,ftone, at
the ting's expende. In fprhe pkt-tJs
the dwelling^ and other* biiildings df
the Icelander's are made ofdrfft-wood,
iii others they are r^ifed of Ikva, al-
tiioft in' the fdnie manned as the ftone-
Walls we make f6r iri clotures, \iuth
tnofs fluffed between the lava. In
feme houfes the Walls are Wafofcotted
G a whBttti

C i*° ]

within. The roof is covered with fods
laid over rafters, or fometimes over
ribs of whales, which k both more
durable and more e^penfive than
wood. The timber- work refts on
many beams laid length-ways, The
walls are about three yards high,
and the entrance fomewhat lower.
The j^an pf one of rfiefe houfes is here
annexed, t;o give a better idea of k.

Ki ■ | ' I ' ■ * J

g

:. »

■*»■•**■»»"•*■■

J3

T*

d

ctf

e

U

(a) , ia the d«or or entrance • ©F the
long lqbbj ;. <bfot>) is. about fi* feet
broad, and .'adnifeslfte light . th^gh
. fome holes in the .^'of, «PP»f ^ch
.a hoop,; .with a iki» ^tre^chc jf ;py«: 'it,
is laid, '.'.' At the; end" of .the ftl^'is
!a rooin (c) whef e t^e >Q*weja 4o,$eyr
jwoi^ and; , Where ,the' nw#er j o£ jfce
houfe .generally . teps with his "wife.
* "" "' 5 The

f t*t J

The walls of this room are wain-*
icottcd; it has a ceiling dntf floor*
fometimes even fmall glafs windows,
but no lire-place. On both fides of
this long lobby are four rooms, two on
each fide, of which (d) is the kitchen,
(e) the room made ufe of to eat in, (f)
the dairy, and (g) the feryants room :
thefe rooms have neither ceilings nor
floors, and the walls are feldom or
never lined. The windows are made
of the chorion (liknarbelgur) and am-
nios of flieep (vatzbelgur) or the mem-
branes which furround the womb of
the ewe, Thefe are ftretched over a
hoop, and laid over an opening iri
the roof, upon which a wooden fhut-
ter is let down, if the weather be
ftormy. They have not even a chim-
ney in the kitchens, but only lay their
fuel on the earth between three (tones,
and the fmoke KTues from a fquare
hole in the roof. Befides this houfe,
Chey have a booth or fhed to keep
their fifli in (Jkcemrna) fometimes another
for their cloaths, &c. and not far off
the ftable for their cattle. In the
poor fort of houfes, they ufe the in-
G 3 ner

ner membrane of the ftomach of an!?
mals for the windows, and they call it
Jkcena ; but this is not fo traniparent*
as the above-mentioned membranes*

LETTER

[ .1*3 ] :

L E T T E R IX,

To Mrs. Carlson of .Gothenburg,

Of the Food of tbf Icelanders.

Gothenburg, March 20*

THOUGH it cannot afford any
great pleafure to examine the
manner in which the Icelanders pro-
pare their food, particularly after hav-
ing fo lately tafted at your table all the
dainties of the four parts of the globe f
J will, neverthelefs, perform my pro*
mife in communicating to you a de*
fcription of it. Methinks I fee you
(bmetimes difdaining their difhes ; but,
I affure you, an Icelander is not left
happy for being unable to feafbn hi§
food with the productions of a diftant
climate : he is content with what na*
ture affords him, fatisfies the cravings
of his ftomach, and enjoys his health,
whilft we frequently forfeit ourfelves
fry feafting on delicacies, and loath the
moft wholefome food.

G4 The

[ l«4 ]

*

The larders and pantries of the Ice*
Janders are feldom fo well ftored as to
contain all the articles that I am going
to mention at one time ; fome cjf
them, however, they ijiuft abfolutely
be provided with, as their food en-? i

tirely confifts of thepi ; and they are . i

Bread of feveral forts, chiefly four bi£ '

cuit* from Copenhagen; but they have
hot much of this, as it is too dear for
them ; they content themfelves there-
fore with providing it for wed^ing^

* In moft- northern countries the fchahitaatf Eve
on rye bread ; (he Sour taken to make it is feldom
bolted, and it is commonly prepared with four fer-
ment or leven, which gives the bread an acidulous
tafte, difagreeable, and refilling the ftomachs of weak |

perfons, but palatable and wholefome to thofe of a '

ftrong conftiiution. The four pafte communicates
an agreeable acidity to this bread ; and as the northern
climates, on account of their long winters, and the -
confinement of people in heated rooms full of noxious
efflaviq, as well as on account of the falt-mear, the chief
diet of the inhabitants, inclines the people to the
fevjrvy ; this acidulous bread, thfi four-crout, ^nd id
Ruffia the four drink called Giiafs, afford fuch power-
ful antifeptics, that, with the diet here defcribed, the.
fcurvy feldom or ever gains ground among them.
'Thefc four bifcuits, no doubt, are likewife made of
rye flour, or of rye and wheat mixed together, grpund
without bolting, and revered ^ciduloijs by fermen*
tation with fqur leven,

and

c - *•* 1

rind other entertainments, Some, i«r
(lead of it, bake themfolves bread of
yye-flour, though they Kfc^wife get
jfome from (Jopenhage» f THe marf-
ner in whteh they bake* it is thus--*
f&e flour is mixed with feme fermented
whey (fyra) and kppaded into dough,
o£ which they make cakes half an ell
in breadth, and three inches thick;
-thefe are boiled m water cxr whey,
and then d^ied oi> a hot ftone or an
|ron plate.

Flour of Fihlgrfe (rockrgrafs *) a
cafk of which well cleaned aqd packed
.f eftp a rix-dbtlar ; it is firft wajGhed,
pnd then cut into fmall pieces by fame*
though the greater number dry it by
ftrq or the fbft, then put it into a bag,
in which it is vrell beaten, an<l laftly
forked into flour by ftamping?

Flotir of Kornfyra^ is prepared in
the fame manner, as well as the two
pther forts of wild corn melur% r by

* Lichco Iflandicus, Fl. Suec. 1085. Fl. I*ap-
pon, 145.

+ Polygonum Biftpm.

% *) Aruada armaria ; 2) aruhdo foliofqm latcribas
£onY©lut}$.

feparating

t 106 ]

feparating it from the chaff, by pound*
ing, and laftly by grinding it.

Surt fmoer (four butter). The Ice-
landers feldom make ufe of frefh or
fait butter, but let it grow four before
they eat it : in this manner it may be
kept twenty years, and even longer ;
and the Icelanders look upon it as
more wholefome and palatable than
the butter ufed amongft us. It is reck-
oned better the older it is ; and one
pound of it then is as much valued as
two pounds of frefli butter, -

String, or whey boiled to the con-
fiftence of four milk, and preferved
for the winter.

Fifli of all kinds, both dried in the
fun and in the air, and either faked or
frozen ; thole prepared in the laft man-
ner are preferred by many.

Theflefh of bears, (heep, and birds,
which is partly faked, partly hung or
fmoaked, and fome preferved in cafks,
with four fermented whey poured ovej:
it. ' .

Mifoft, or whey boiled tP cheeie,
which is very good. But the art of
jnaking qther kinds of gopd cheele is

loft*

t i*7 ]

|oft, though fome tolerably palatable is
ibid in the eaft quarter, of Iceland.

Beina-Jtriug, bones and cartilages of
beef and mutton, and likewife bones
of cod, boiled in whey, till they are
quite diflblved ; they are then left te
ferment, and are eat with milk.

Skyr, the curds from which the
whey is fqueezed, are prefer ved in
calks, or other veffibls ; they are fome*
times mixed with black crow-berries
{empetrum baccis nigris) or juniper
•berries, and are likewife eat with new
milk.

Syra is four whey, kept in caiks,
and left to ferment^ which, however,
is not thought fit for ufe till if is a year
old.

Blanda is a liquor made of water, to
which a twelfth part of fyra is added.
In winter it is mixed with the juice of
thyme, and of the black crow-berries,
or the empetrum nigrum.

They likewife eat riiany vegetables *,
fome of which grow wild, an<4 others

are

*The following catalogue of plants ufed for food ici
Inland is taken from the journal of Eggert dlafseq :

Rumex

are cultivated ; as alfo fhell-fifli # an4
mufhrooms f«

The Icelanders in general eat three
meals a day, at (even in the morning,
at two in the afternoon, and. at nine
in the evening*

Rumexacetofa, in the Icelandic language called Sura,
, • - digynus, • - • ^ . - Olafs Sura,

• • • patientia, - Heimis*niolc*

Taraxacum, * Aettt-fJiH.

Carex, Lin, pinguicula, Li/ia-grat, ufed againft the

dyfentry.
Trifolium pratenfe flore albo.
Fotentilla argentea, Mura.

JPlaatago mamima,LiN.foliislinearibu6, Katt&rtwng/k
Angelica archangelica, Huinn ; JEtte-huonn,
Lichen IflandicuS, Fial/a-graus.

* - - Lichenoides, Klquungur.

• • - Coraloides, Krada.
~ - - Niveus, Mariu-grar.

- - • Leprofus, Gditna-Jkof*
Arundo Arenaria, Melur.

- - - foliorum lateribus convolute*
^Ebcfilbaria, Skarfa-kaal.

Flantago anguftifolia, Selgrefe.
Epilobium tetragonum, Purpura- blomftur.
Polygonum biftort, Rornfura.
Sifymhrium, Lnr. Kattar-balfartu

* Ventrofa crafla, A^/24 JhdkuJkeL
Domiporta, Kudungur, kufungur, kongur.

- Mytulus,. Krqklingur..

- - • Major, ^fafc

f Agaricus caulefcens, pileo albo, Mtte-fvepu
~ - - fupra pileo piano, JEtte-fvepr.

- . - - fubconvexo, Reyde-kula.

r -. - of an unknown fort,. Bleikula*

in

/ lo the morning and ercniag they com-
monly eat curds mixed with new milk,
and fometimes with juniper berries,
and thofe of crake 1 or crowMberries %
Infoine parts they alfo have pottage of
fialgras, wtiich, I aflure you, is very
palatable ; vallidrafii, or curdled milk*
boiled till k becomes of *a red colours
feiddmjolky or new milk, boiled a long
while. At dinner, their food coniifts
of dried fifli, with plenty of four but>-
ter. They alfo fometime^eatfrefhfifli,
and, when poffible, a little bread afod
cheefe with them* It^ is reported -by v
fome, that they do not eat any fifk
lill it is qiiite rotten ; this report, per-
haps, proceeds from their being fond
of it wfoen a. Iktle tainted: they how-
eve* frequently eat iMh that is quite
&e&, Chough in the fame maimer
as the reft #P*heir food, or often with-
out (alt. <

On Sunday, and in harveft-time,
Jhey haVelbroth made of meat, which
is often boiled in Jyra, inftead of wa-
ter; and in winter they eat hung or
dried meat*

Their

C »<* ]

- Their common beverage is milk,
either warm from th$ cow, or cold*
and fbmetimes boiled .$ they Hkewife
make butter-milk, with or without wa 4
ter. On the coafts they generally drink
blanda *, and four milk ; which is fold,
after it is ikimmed, at two-fifths of a
rix-dollar a caik: fome Hkewife fend
for beer from 'Copenhagen, and fome
others brew their own- A few of the
principal inhabitants alfo have claret
and coffee. The common people fome-
times drink a kind of tea, which they
make from the leaves of Hoka-foleyg t
and Speedwell J.

This is the ufual manner of life in
Iceland. In all countries the living of
the poor differs eflentially from that of
the rich ; and if an Iceland gentleman
can afford to eat meat, butter* (hark,
and whale, the peafants are obliged to
content themfelves with fifli, blanda,

* In Elfdalln Wermehnd in Sweden, the common
beverage of the country people is milk, rrnxed with
water, and called by them Blanda.

- f Dryas oftopetala. *
% Veronico officinalis,

milk

■t"i.3

milk pottage of rock-grafs, and beina*
firing. Though the Icelanders cannot
in general be faid to be in want
of neceflary aliment, yet the country
has feveral times been vifited by great
famines : thefe, however, have beea
chiefly owing to the Greenland float-
ing-ice, which, when it comes in great
quantities, prevents the grafs from
growing, and puts an entire flop to
their fifhing*

I need not acquaint you, that we
were not neceffitated to fubmit to their
manner of life during our ftay in Ice-
land. Inftead of b I an da we drank
port, and feveral other forts of good
wine ; and a French cook prepared for
us fome favoury difhes, and excellent
puddings.

However, as we wiflied to try every
thing, we prevailed upon the phyfi-
cian, Biarne Paulfen, who had inyited
us to dinner, to entertain us after the
Icelandic manner. We did not for-
get the good Swedifh cuftom of taking
a glafs of brandy before dinner, which
was here genuine ; we had only once
Danifh diftilled corn-brandy, which

was

£ *« ]

Ifrasferved up with bifcuit, diede, arid
lour butter. In the middle of the
table was placed a difli with dried fiflb
tut fmall ; the other diflies were a
piece of good roaft mutton, broth
With Jyra, and a difli of faltaon-*
trouts* &c« &c< We eat with a very
good appttite; but the four butter
and dried fifti were not often applied
to i on the wfeole, we eat a greater
quantity of bread than the Icelanders
generally do<

So elegant an entertainment cotild
l>ot be without a deflert ; arid for this
Jnirpefe fome whale and Qiaric (hafkal)
were fetfved tip; which are either
faked/ &<\ boiled or dried in the air*
looks very mueh like nifty bacon, andf
had fo difagreeable a tafte, -that the
final! quantity we took of k, drove us
-from the table Jong before our ititen*
tion. Moft probably you already thank
*ne for my entertainment, and are
liappy to fee the end of my fetter*

Letter

[ "3 1

L E T f E R X.

To Chevalidr Ihre.

Of thi Employment of the Icelander^
and their Chronology*

Stockholm, Sfept. -6, 17^4.

THE Icelanders principally attend
to fifhing, and the care of tlieir
Cattle;

Oil the coafts the men employ their
thhe in fifhing, both fummerarid win-
ter ; on their return home, after they
hkve drawn and cleaned their fifli,
they give them to their wives, whofe
cai*e it is to dry thetn. In thd winter,
when the inclemency of the leather
preverits them from fifhing, they are
obliged id take care of their cattle,
and fpin wool. In fummer tHey iriovy
the grafs, dig turf, provide fuel, go
in fearch of fheep and goats that
are gone aftray, and kill cattle. They
likeWife attend to their wadtnbl, or
coarfe cloath ; for that purpofe they
H make

t *«4 1

make ufe of urine, which they alfb
ufe for wafhing and bucking, inftead
of (bap and pot-afhes. The men like-
wife prepare leather, and ufe miadurt
(fpiraea uimaria) inftead of the bark of
birch* Some few work in gold and
filver, while others are inftru&ed in
mechanics, and are tolerable proficients
therein.

As a proof of this, I need only
mention a fledge that a peafant con-
trived fbme years ago in the form of a
(hip with fails, and large enough to conr
tain four or five peribns, that would
fail, in the winter feafon, in an evea
country. Unluckily, two of his fons, in
failing home from church, overturned,
and broke the whole carriage to pieces.

On the weft fide of the .country
they make veflels of floating wood,
large enough to contain from three
t6 twelve tons, and according to the
fize of the vefTel charge from four to
fix dollars.

The women prepare the fifti, take

care of the cattle, manage the milk

and the wool, few y fpin, and gather

eggs and down* Wher* they work in

5 d*e

t m l

the evening, they ufe, itiflead of slri
hour-glafs, a lamp, with -a wick made
of fiva (qpilbbium) dipt in train-oil,
which is Co contrived as to burn four*
fix, or eight hours,*

Their work is in fonie meafure de-
termined by their bya-lag, or by-laws*
of their villages, in which the quan-

* "By-laws are faid to be orders made in court-leers
or court-barony by common aflfent, for the qood of
thofe that make them, farther than the public laW
binds." Atterbury. See Johnfon's Pi£l. Though
this may probably be theprefeut meaning of the word
By-law, .it is Hot, however, the original meaning
of the Word ; for it is derived frdm the old Saxon
tford by or bye, figaifying a town > from the Gothic
Word bo % to inhabit ; and agreeable to this are
triany Englifh nannies of towns, viz. 4/b-by, Whit-by^
&c. &c. Bj law, therefore, Signified formerly laws
made by townftiips, and by diltritts belonging to a
town, jot to a leer, which amounted fometiates to £
third part of a (hire. Thefe laws were made by
common aflent, and for the good of thofe that made
them, which is, or ought to be* the chief aim of
all laws, and they extend farther than the public law
binds $ becaufe the law of the land muft be general,
and cannot provide for all particular cafes of tingle
towns and diftrifts. T^he fpecial regulation's and re-
' ftri&ions, therefore,- made by the common affeot of
the townspeople, for the common good of $har par-
ticular town, beyond the law of the land, are by-
laws, laws of the bye or town. The Icelandic word
tya-lag fignifies laws of villages or towri&ips; and
It confirms the fignification we have given to theEoglift*
Word ty-laM .

Ha tity

[ ' ii6 ]

fity of work they are bound to per-
form in a day is ordered : they fel-
dom do fo much work now, therefore
it is only called wedelmans vdrk, or
the work of a man of middling
ftretfgth.' AcCbrditfg to thefe by-laws,
a man is to mow as much hay in
one day, as grows on thirty fathom9
fquare of manured foil, or forty fathoms
fqnare of land not manured, or he is
obliged to dig 700. pieces of turf
eight feet long and three broad. If
fo much fnow falls as to reach to the
horfes bellies, which they call quedfnio,
he is to clear away daily the fnow for
a hundred (heep. A woman is to rake
together f as much hay as three men
can mow, or to weave three yards of
ivadmal in a day.

The wages of a man are fixed at four
dollars, and twelve yards of ivadmal 3
and thofe of a woman at two dollars
and five yards of wadmaL When the
men are ferit a fifhing out of the court*
try, there is allowed to each man, by
the bya-lagy from the' 25th of Septem-'
ber to the 1 4th of May, fix pounds of
butter and eighteen pounds of dried

fill*

fifli every weelc. This may appear to
be too great an allowance ; but it muft
be remembered, that they have no*
thing befides to. live upon. When
they are at home, and can get milk, &c.
every man receives only five pounds
of dried fiflx and three quarters of a
pound of, butter each week.

As the compuation of time among the
Icelanders is not determined according
to the courfe pf the fun, but by their,
work, this is perhaps the moft proper
place to fay fomething of it. Though
they have, like us, four different fear
fons, they only count two ; the fum-
mer, that begins the Thurfday ber
fore the 16th of April ; and the win T
ter, that commences on the Friday
before the 1 8th of October. During
the firft feafon they perform their fpm*
mer-wprk, and in the latter attend to
their winter amufements.. Thefe two
feafons are afterwards divided into
twelve months, as with us, which have
their common names ; but in indent;
records, and among the lower clafs of
people, they are called, i f Midfvetrar^
3. Foftugangs m, 3. Iafnda$gr'a m x 4,
H 3 Stimar

C 118 J

Sumar m x 5. Fardaga tn. 6. Nottky*
Jh m. 7. Midfumar m. 8. Heyanna
tn. 9. Adratta m* 10. Slaatrunar
tn. ii. Ridtidar tn. 12. SkammdeU
gis m. Day and night are not divided
into a certain number of hours, but
into the following divisions : Otta is
with them three o'clock in the morn-
ing ; Midur tnorgon, or Herdis rifmal,
five o'clock ; £)agmal, half paft eight ;
Haadeye, eleven ; Nonn, three in the
afternoon ; Midur a/ton, fix in the
evening ; Nat mall, eight ; and Mid*
natt 9 midnight. ,

When they want to know wha$
p*clock it is, they attend to the courfe
pf the fun, and the flux and reflux of
the fea ; but generally they make ufe
of an art to difcover the fun by theitf
, # fingers. Watches are very rare among
them ; every peafant, however, has
^n hour-glafs.

LETTER

i

I "? ]

/

LETTER XL

To Chevalier Bach.

Of the Difeafes in Iceland,

Stockholm, 0&. i, 1776,

YOU require, Sir, that I fhouldgive
you fbme account of the difeafes
common in Icdand, I will obey your
commands, though it is more the pro-
vince of a phyfician to undertake the
(bbjeft, as it requires fo much exalt*
nefs and penetration.

As I have been fo happy as to be
unacquainted with any difeafe from
my own experience, I have as little
endeavoured to gain any knowledge by
reading fuch books as treat of them ;
you will therefore pardon me if my
account is not perfect.

The climate pf the country, and
the purity of the air, contribute very
much to make the Icelanders ftrong
and healthy, though their -food and
way of life frequently produce the
H 4 con-*

[ 120 ]

contrary effeft. Young children, for
example, are not fuckled more thai}
two or three days, and afterwards
brought up with cows milk, which,
in times of dearth, is mixed with flour
and water.

I remember to have heard,, that this
is alfo cuftomary in fome parts of Fin-
land j but a different manner of liv-
ing may render that unwholefome ill
Iceland, which is lefs fo in another
place : and 1 think I may fafely ven-
ture to affirm, that the food and mode
of living in Iceland do not at all
contribute to the ftrength of the in-
habitants. One feldom meets with
any of them above fifty or fixty years of
age, and the greater part are attacked
in their middle age by many grievous
complaints.

It is remarkable th^t among the female
lex, who there, as almoft every where
elfe, live to a greater age than the men,
thofe particularly who have had many
children attain to an advanced age.
There are a great many of thisclafs, as
the women are commonly very fruitful ;
and it is no rare thing to meet with

a mo-

[ .1*1 ]

a mother who has had twelve -or fifteen
children.

Among the difeafes that are moft
prevalent, the fcurvy (Skyrbiugur) is
the moft common. In fbme it makes
its appearance in the fame manner
as with us, but in others it produces
the moft dreadful fymptoms, and
is then called liktraad % or leprofy,
which, however, differs from that hor-
rid difeafe fo common in the IJaft. Its
firft appearances are, fwellings in the
hands and feet, and fometimes alfo in
other parts of the body : the fkin ber
comes fliining, and of a bluifti caft t
the hair falls off, the fight, tafte, fhiell,
and touch are weakened, and often
quite loft ; biles appear on the arms,
Tegs, and face ; refpiration becomes
difficult, and the breath foetid ; aching
pains are felt in all the joints, a
breaking-out fpreads over the whole
body, and is at laft converted into
fores that generally terminate in
death.

The Icelanders make ufe of an-
tifcorbutic deco&ions, likewife baths,
with turnips boiled in them ; but

chiefly

[ 122 ]

chiefly mercurial remedies, by means
of which the difeafe may be removed
in its beginning. This difeaie is not
contagious, but very obftinate ; and
Jt is remarkable, that two generations
may be entirely free from it, when it
(hall appear in the third. It doe? not
always prove mortal, though many are
tormented with it twenty or thirty
years,

The gout (tarrv&rk) : moft men have
it, who go out a-fiftring, in their hands,
probably becaufe they are obliged to
handle and manage the wet fi(hing~
tackle in cold weather.

The St» Anthony's fire, in Icelandic
aama n is pretty common. They make
wfe of earth-worms (anamadkur) to
cure it, which they bind ?dive on the
afHifted part ; and when they become
dry, frelh ones are applied till the
difeafe is removed.

The jaundice, in Icelandic guulfot 5
the fever, kvefsot ; the pleurify, tak %
which is fbmetimes infectious* and
then is cajled landfarfot f or an infect
{iqus difeafe, that is frequently got by
cold ; lown^fe of fpirits, carcinoma in*
fantum* in Icelandic krabbe a atumein ;

th e

t * *n ]

J he fpleen, and obftru&ions of the
paenfes, are very common. In later
years the rickets have made their ap?
pearance ; and the venereal difeafe
was not known among (hem ti)l the
year 1753.

Befides the ^ntifcorbutic plants to be
found in plenty in Iceland, they have
a number of hot baths, which are of
great benefit in the cure of thefe
difeafes.

There is an apothecary *s (hop efta?
blifhed on the ifland, and four hofpitafc
for the poor and leprous^ the care
pf which is committed to their mod
ikilful phyficians, with proper afli£
tants.

LETTER

[ 12^ ]

LETTER XIL
To Chevalier Ihre.

Of Fijbing, Fowling, and the Breed of
Cattle in Iceland.

Stockholm, Oft, $, 1774-

THE inhabitants who live near the
coafts employ themfelves almoft
the whole year in fifhing ; and even
thpfe who live in the inland parts of
the country come to the fea-flhore at
certain feafons. Every mafter of a
family has a particular fiftung-drefs,
?uid is obliged to furniflj one to his fer*
vant as foon as he puts to fea. They are
made of Cheep or calves fkins, which,
in manufacturing, are frequently rub-
bed over with train-oil. They confift
of the following articles : Leiftrabrakyr
^re breeches and (lockings all in a
piece, that come up pretty high above
the hips, and are lacecj on very tight ;

Jiackur,

[ i*5 1

jiackur, a wide jacket fattened round
the heck and the middle of the watft ; .
taatillar, or coarfe {lockings, of (tiff
worfted ; . and fiofkor, or water-fhoes >
of thick leather.

Their boats are commonly fmall,
and only contain from one to four
men, with thefe they fifli near the
fliore ; but with their larger boats,
which are made to contain from
twelve to fixteen men, and are pro-
vided with fails, they frequently venr
ture from four to eight miles on
fea.

In thefe veflels they always carry a
tnan extraordinary, whom they call
formann. He fits at the helm ; and
the others, who are called haafeters,
obey his commands. At his call they
all aflemble at an appointed time near
the veflel, provided with knives, fiflh-
ing-lines, and other proper tackle:
they makeufe of (hells, andfometimes
the flefh of quadrupeds and birds for
baits*

As foon as the boat is from fhore,
they all take off their hats and caps,
pray for good fuccefs, and recommend

them-

t **6 j

ihemfelvea to the divine protection by
a prayer and hymn, which they call
vararfaungur, and then (land out tof
fea. As food as they are come to a
place where they efxped: a good draught*
two of them fit down at the helm, to *
prevent the boat's being moved out of
Its place by the current, and to take
care that the fifliing-lines are riot en-
tangled. In this manner they continue
fifhing the whole day ; and when the
boat will not contain any more fifti*
they cut off the heads of all they have
Caught, which they throw into the fea*
together with their entrails; This riot
drily enables them to carry a far greater
number of fifli afhore, but alfo invite*
many infefts. to take place, that ar«
good baits*

At their return, all the fifti are
brought afliore, and divided into
equal (hares : one (hare belongs to
the owner of the boat, though he
(hould not be out at fea with them,
and this is called Jkipleigafaip-fhare) t
another is given to him who fat at
the helm; a third to him who go-
Terned the fails; in a word, every fiflxer-
man gets one (hare* But this equal di-

vifion

1 ti7 i

vtfioii is only made with the fm alter*
fifli ; for If any one in the boat is Co
fortunate as to catch a turbot or other
valuable fi(h, it is immediately cut into
pieces, and the three beft given to hint
who caught it*

As foon as they have thus fliared
them, every one cuts off the heads of
his fifh, draws them, and after cutting
them up from top to bottom on the
fide of the belly, takes out the back-
bone from that part where it is fixed to
the head, down to the third joint be-
low the heart. If the weather be fuch
as to give them hopes of drying their
fifli next day, they lay them with the
flefliy fide facing one another ; but if
the weather is unfavourable, they lay
the pieces on a heap with the fkinny
fide uppermoft, and this they call
lagga i kafe / if they lie too long in
this pofltian, or one above another*
they fpoil, and are then fold to the
merchants at a lower pirice, under the
denomination of kafad fisk< When
the weather isv fair, thefe pieces are
(pread feparately on ftones^ or on the
fhore, and are frequently turned by

, the

t 1*8 ]
the wdmeri, till they are entirely dry j
this often requires a fortnight's tim'cy
and fometimes more* The fifti pre-
pared in this manner aire called flat*
fifkur, or flat fiflb;

In fome parts they do not dry the
fifli on ftones or on the Chore ; but
after they have ripped them up, place
them in rows on ftones that are
laid crofs-wife in a houfe built for that
purpofe ; thefe huts are called hiallur
in Iceland, and fomewhat refemble the
(beds in which fmiths.fhoe horfesw
Thefe fiflb are called hehgi-Jifkur, or
hung fifti*

The fifli they principally catch is
cod, of which they have fevefal dif-
ferent forts* tinder the names of tbyrfk^
tingurj upfe> ija y Idnga $ keila, ,&c.'
Befides thefe they have foles, floun-
ders, hearings, falmon, fal'mori^-trout*
trouts, and feveral others. Of the
trouts it has been obfervcd, that when
they, come up the rivers and brooks,
and approach the hot fprings, they
are fond of flaying in the lukewarirt
water, where they grow fo fat as to be
fcarcely eatable.

It

t t*9 1

.It is ujnnecelplry to fajjft ifrat the
teas, as well as the riyers and lakes,
abound with fUh i I will therefore
on|y mention the whale, of which
there are feveral forts, divided by the
natives into two clafTes, thofe with
and thofe without teeth*

The firft are again divided into
. Skidis-fifkuti fmooth^beUied, a;id Rey*
dar-0tur> or wrinkle*belUed* ^mong
the Skidis-fijktir, who have whale-
bone inftead of teeth, the Jlettbakr i
whofe back is flat, is the largeft j and
fame have beep caught one hundred
Swedifti ells (of twenty-three and st
quarter Englilh Inches) in length*
The bnufubdkr has a hnnap on his back/
and is next in fize, being frotri feventy
to eighty ells long* Of all the known
whales that belong to the clafs of the
Reydar+fifkur, thcjiapereidur is thought
to be the largeft, as there are fome
one hundred and twenty ells in
length* Then follow the hrafn rey*
dur and the atidarnefia ; they are all
confldered as very dainty food } and
the Icelanders fay, the flelh has the
tafte qf beef*

J The

t i& ]

The wftales that have teeth inftead
of whalebone are alio divided into
two clafTes, thofe that are eatable, and
thofe that are not. To the firft tlafs
belong the bnyfen, bnyd'ingur, bund-
t t 0kur f and baahjntingur : to thelaft, to
which the .nime of lllh-wele is given,
are reckoned the rodkammingur and
naabvalur. Thefe are forbidden as
food by fome antient regulations, and
particjlarly by the church laws. The
Icelanders believe, that the firfl: fort
are very fond of human flefli,, and
therefore aVoid fifliing in filch places
where they appear*

The above kinds of whales ate fotne-
tinics ftruck with harpoons, and fome-
times caught with nets. The Icelan-
ders, however, feldom venture to
attack the larger ones, as their boats
are fmall, and they unprovided with
inftruments proper for that purpofe*
They ftand in fo great dread of lome
of them, that when out at fea, they are
afraid to taention even their names,
and Carry dung, brimftone, juniper-
wood, and fome other articles of the
fame nature in their boats, in order to

terrify

^errify and prevent their too near sip*
proach* Notwithftanding, it now and
then happens that they catch fbme of*
the largeft fort, Which i$ done when the
fifli approach too near the (here at high
water* and are unable to return as faft
as the water ebbs* where they are killed
with ftones and lances; In this manner
they had caught a large whale the yeai?
before our arrival at Hafnefiord*

To their fifliery likewife may bd
reckoned the catching of feals* which
is very confiderable in fame parts^
They have four forts of them, rojlun-
gur> vade-felur> blaudu-felur, and gran-
felur. They are fatteft in winter* and
yield three or four * lifpfund of fat*
each of which produces three one half
f'kanne of oil : in fummer, on the con-
trary, they are very lean. Their flelh
is eaten, the fat fold at five yards of
wadmalj and the fkin by weight, at
the rate of fixty yards for each lifpfund.

Though the fituation of Iceland
renders it extremely proper for fifli-
ing, yet the fiChery has decreafed very

* A Lifpfund is twenty pounds Englifh.
f A Kanne about three quarts Englifh;

la touch

t 132 ]

Much lately ; which is partly oWihg tinl
the many foreign {hips that yearly
come to fi(h in thbfe parts, and partly
to the want of fifliermen, as the num-
ber of people has decreafed gredtly.
But I believe the chief ciufe is the mo-
nopoly of the trading co'mp&hy, that
very much opprefles the country.

If the people had more encourage-
ment, there would be more 6niulatian
and diligence among them than'&t pre-
fent ; for they are obliged to fell a vaett,
or five lifpfund, of dried fifli to the
company, at the rate of five-fiiths of
a dollar, which they fell again in
Hamburgh, where the greateft part
of what is caught in Iceland is ufually
fent, for five bank-dollars.

Next to fifhing, the principal fup-
port of the Icelanders is the breeding
of cattle.

Their beeves are not large, but
very fat and good. It has been report-
ed by fome, though without founda-
tion, that there are none among them
with horns : it is however true that
they feldom have any.

The large cattle are kept at home in
their yards the greater part of the

year,

[ m ]

year, though fome have places appro*

priated to them in the mountains,

which they call fatr 9 where they fend

their cattle during the fummer, till

the hay haryeft is over. They have a

herdfpian to attend them, and two

women to milk* them and make hut*

ter and cheefe. It is common to meet

with oxen running wild about thQ

mountains, which are however drove

home in autumn, as every one knows

his own by a particular mark put upon

them*

^The principal food of the cattle is

hay,, and they reckon a ftaqk of hay

for a cow's winter proviiion ; a ftack

confifts of thirty cocks * kapal of hay,

grown on manured land, and forty

cocks kapal grown on unmanur&d land*

When there is a fcarjpity of fodder,

they feed them in fome parts with

fteenptfr, a kind of fifli, which, toge^

gether with the heads and bones of

codj is beaten fmall, and mixed with

one quarter of chopped hay. The

cattle are fond of it, and yield a good

deal of milk after it ; but yet it is f?icj

* A kapal is from 12 to i$Iifpfunds<

I 3 «»

t 134 3

to have a bad tafte, and they only
make ufe of this food in time of need.

Their cows yield four kanne of milk
p. day, though they have fome that
give from eight to fourteen in four-?
and-twenty hours* A cow that yields
fix quarts is reckoned a good one, and
muft not ftand dry above three weeks
before flie calves.

A young calf is fed with milk for ten
days or a fortnight, afterwards the
milk is mixed with water and chopped
hay, and at laft they giye it whey in-?
ftead of milk', i

The ufual price of a cow, as well as
of a horfe, is one hundred and twenty
ells, thirty of which make a dollar.
However, fometimes the better fort of
horfes are fold for eight or ten rixr
dollars*. They have left trouble: with
their horfes than their cows ; for
though fome faddle-horfes are kept ii}
(tables during winter, the greater
number of them are obliged to pro-*-
vide for their own fubfiftence, and
when they cannot find this on land*
the'y go in fearch of fea- weeds on

C 135 1

the coafts ; but when a great quantity
of (how has fallen, the natives are ol>
Jiged to clear it away for them.

There is no breed of cattle (6 much
attended to in Iceland as that offlieep,
As tlipfe can eafily find fubilftence
there, the Icelanders look upon it as
leis troiibleforae and lefs dxpenfiye to
breed thefn.j and there are many pea^
(ants who have from two to four
hundred (heep/ Before the epidemic
cal difeafe, which raged artiong the
0M?'ep ; frgim 1740 to 1750, it was not
uncommon tcT fpe flocks of one thbu^
faiid ortwelye hundred, the fole pro*
per ty of one p,erlop t

T wiir .not "/venture to examine,

wj^tHpr it would be niQre advanta*

geous to * husbandry to , keep more

cows than {heep ; but as the inhabit*-

.ant$ feeni £9 be more inclined to

breeding of fheqp, it would be well if

I fuch c egiilatldris' were made as plight

* ?nabte them to cultivate it with itiore

'. : * TUis has really been thought of

by Eoyern^eftf; .; , for about* twenty

% years* ago they " feftt baron Hnftfef, a

I 4. . £wede

[ I3<M.

Swede by birth, to Iceland for that
very purpofp. He made feveral regu-
lations, and invented and prepared a
kind of powder, as a cure for the di£
eafes among (beep, which is very
much made ufe of there, as well as in
Denmark and Norway* They fpealc
of him eypry where in Iceland, ^s of a
man who had great knowledge in this
branch of husbandry, and a Sincere
defire to redreis all defe&s.

I know not if the report was well
founded, which was fpread all over
the country, that the trading coni*
pany endeavoured to bbttruft' him in
the execution of this defign ; fo if^iich
however is certain, that the country
has reaped little or no benefit from
baron Haftfer *s difpofitions*

The Icelandic fheep differ fropi ours
in feveral particulars j tbey have ftra|t
ears {landing upright, $ ftnajl tail,
and it is common to meet with thofe
that have four or five horns ; iii fohae
places they #re kept in ftables .during
\vinter ; , but tbey are generally left
to. feek their food themfelves in the
fields,

Jt

C '37 ]

Jc is jtematkable that they are fond
c# hiding therafelves in caves (of
which there a*>e a great many in icfc*-
fcttd) in ftariiiy, tempeftaous weather
Em when they cannot find any retreat
during a heavy fall of fnow, they
place thetnfelres all in a htfap, V^ith
their heads to the middle, and bint
towards the ground, which ftot only
£freveflts thfcm from being fo eafily
buried under the fnow, but facilitate*
the owiter finding them again. In
this fituatioft they can remain fcVeral
days* and there are examples of their
hfrtiog been . forced by hunger to
gnaw tOflf each others wool ; * which,
forming' balls in their ftotnachs, pre-
fently deffc-oys them. They are how*-
*v*r generally fiion fought for and
diferfgaged. There are rio wild Cheep*
'«s has been pretended by fome ; for
Tthey all havfe their owners, who keep
dn 6fca<ft account of th^m ; and when
thfcy are driven to the mountains,
they are Ifearcdly ever without a.fhep-
herd to attend upon them. f

Their food is grafs and herbs> and
ljk\£ fcurVy*gra($ (cochlears a) in par^

ticular

[ 138 •]

ticular makes them fo fat, that they
yield more than twenty lifpfund of fat f
They reckon one kapaLoi dunged hay^
and two not dunged, for a Cheep's
winter provifibn* When there is $
bad crop, they are. obliged to put up
with fifti bones chopped, as well as th$
other cattle, . *

Good fheep give from* two to fix
quarts of milk a day, of. .which both
butter and cheele is. made ; it has liker
wife a good tafte when boiled.

But the principal profit Ithey h&ve
frorti their (keep arifes from, the woqJLj
this is not (horn off as. among us, \mt
remains oh till the end of M$y, when
it loofens of itfelf, and is.ftripped off
at once like; a (kin, - and is then called
Viiafat, The whole body -is by this
*$me. covered: again with /o^w wool,
which is quite ftiort and fine, and of
better quality, than the JSwedifti* X*
catiririues to growl the whole fiimmer*
apct becomes coarfer and' ftiffier tor
wards autumn ;. it is likewife ffnpoth
and gl oily,, fonie what tefembUng ca-
mel's hair, but mqve fliaggy. This
covering enables tl>e flieep to fuppo^t

the

t *39 1

the rigours of winter ; but after they
have loft their wool, if the fpring
proves a wet one, they take care tp
{bw a piece of ^oarfe; cloth, or ivafr
mal, round the from^ch of the weak-
£ft, and thofc that have lead wool,

A good (beep, againft. which no
(exceptions pan be jnade, njuft, accord-
ing to their by-laws, at leaft afford jfoup
pounds of wool ; and it is not uncom-
mon for them to produce more.

It is not;.unufual,for an ewe to havp
two lambs at a time, and fometimes
even three ; they then t$ke ^way one
laiqb from the mother, and give it to
another, who has loft hers. When thp
lambs are £oq wfak to. follow the mo-
ther, £hey #re kept ^t home andied
upon, milk,; which is don^by means o£
a quill and a.wpt pi£<?e of (kin.- . :

Thf, pifiqe of jfix.ews, from two,$o
four years old, soggier with their
Iambs and wool, i§ four -dqlhrrs in au-
tumn, a9fiording, tp jtj^e land-tax :;a
>veathcr of four years- old is. fold fqr
one dollar ; but it is the cuftoixrfor a
pierchant to pay only five marks. If
any body fells a lamb ready killed, it

is

is valued according to the quantity of
fat it has, at the rate of two marks for
.every pound. The flefk alone, with-
out the head* feet, entrails, fat, fkin,
and wool, is valued at twenty yards,
and the bye-laws fix the price of a
pound of dried mutton at half a yard.
The Ikin is fold by weight, after the
Yate of thirty fifh for half a lifffund.

They have goats in fome places,
but they are few in number j and,
upon enquiry, I found the realbn to
be that they do not thrive in a country
'where there is no wood.

Befides thefe animals they have
three kinds of dogs in Iceland, fiat
finndar, or lumbar, (hag dogs ; and
djrhnndar and dverghundar* As alio
tame "and wild cats, whi<?h laft are
called urdarkettir 5 rats, White and
ftrowh foxes, fbme of which ^at graft,
atrtf are on that account caHed gras
tvfuri To root out thefe animals,
thieking has fet a premium of a rix-
dollar upon every ten foK fktns that
are : £bld to a merchant. The natives
have lrkewife made an agreement, that
whofoever deftroys a fox's hole, toge-
ther

I *4i 1

ther wkh the fox, the (he-fox, and
their young, is to receive one rix-
dollar, which the neighbours colieft
among themfelves.

Rein-deers - were not known here
formerly ; but by governor Thodal's
order, thirteen head were lent from
Norway in 1770, by Mr. Sorenfon,
merchant : ten of which died before
they reached Iceland, for want of
proper care ; the three remaining ones
thrive extremely well, and had fanned
three times before we came there :
they do not want for food, as the coun-
try abounds, with mofs.

After having treated of their fiftierf
and the breed of their cattle, I think
this a very proper place to fay forrie-
thing of their birds, which, " in regard
particularly to thofe of the aquatic
kind, are very important to them*

They are found in great abundance
every where on the coaft ; . but the
greateft number by far are caught in
the few -places where they breed*
The eggs the Icelanders themfelves
make ufe of, as likewife of the flefli,
which is eaten by a great «any ;

but

but with the feathers and doWn they
carry on a very cdnfiderable trade.

It would be unneceflary to mention
all the different forts of birds, efpe-
cially as there is fbarcfely any country
where fo many kinds, and fuch great
numbers of them, are to be met with
as in Iceland. Among the great abun-
dance of geefe, water-fowls, ducks,
&c« I will however fay fomething of
thelwan and the eider bird or duck*

It is known that the fwan belongs
to the dafs of birds of paflage ; their
numbers increafe very much towards
winter, though there is no fcarcity of
them at any time* as the greater part
of the young breed conftantly remain
there. In fpring we may often fee
a hundred of them in a flock, and
frequently many more ; and it is then
thought . that part of them advance
yet further to *the north, and makes
but a very (hort (lay in Iceland: Dur-
' ing fummer they refort to the lakes ;
but when winter approaches* x and
they begin to freeze, they remove to
the fea fhores. Their eggs are ga-
thered in the beginning of fpring ;

they

they mr6 large, andfaid to bfc Vety
palatable. In'Auguft* whfentheylofe
their feathers, they are hunted on the
lakes, where they are to be found at
: that time, with dogs trained to catch
them alive. They are faid to iing
very harmonioufly in the cold dark
winter nights ; but though it was in
the month of September when I was
upon the ifland, I never once enjoyed
the pleafure of a fingle fong. An old
fwan has a fiftiy tafte* but the yourtg
ones are reckoned among the beft eat-
able fowl?.

The eider bird or duck is yet nto^e
tifeful to the natives, who confider
it as a kind of treafure ; and it is fel-
dom heard that a prudent houfe-
keeper (hoots or kills any of them.

The eider birds generally build their
nefts on little iflands not far fromr the
(hore, and fometimes even near the
dwellings of the natives, who treat
them with fo much kindnefs and cir-
dumfpe&ion, as td make them quite
tame. In the begin ning.of June they
lay five or fix eggs, s*nd it is not un-
ufual to find from ten to fixteen eggs

. in

i *44 1

ifi one ncft together, with^o &ncfcl€&
who agree remarkably well together.
The whale time ^flaywig continues £jl
or feven weeks, and tfoey are food of
laying three times in different places i
in the two firft, both the eggp and
down are taken away, 'but m the Jaft
place this is feldenadone. Thofe to
whom one of thefe places belongs vifit
it at lead once a week.

When they come tothe neft, thejr
firft carefully remove the female* a#d
then take away the fuperftuou? down -
and eggs, after which they replace tihe
female on the remaining ones, when
rflbe begins to lay afrefh, and covers
her eggs with new down which ()ie
has plucked from herfelf i when (Jie
has no more down left, the male
comes to her affiftance, and covers the
eggs with his down, which is white,
and eafily diftinguiflied from the fe-
male's ; where it is left till the young
-ones are hatched, who. in an hour
.afterwards quit, the neft together with
the mother, whep, it is once, more
.plundered*

1!he beft down ap4 the moft eggs are

;got during the firft three weeks of their

5 laying;

t 14* 3

laying; and it has in general been ob*
(erved, that they lay the greateft number
of eggs in rainy weather* As long ae the
female fits, the male is on thq watch
near the fliore ; but as foon gs the
yoqqg arc hatched, he leaves them j
but the mother remains with them %
confiderabletjme after; andifis curious
to fee how (he leads them out of the neft
as foon as they creep opt of the eggs,
and goes before them to the fliore,
whilft they trip after her ; whan (he
comes to the water-fide,, (lie takes
them on her back, and fwims with
them; for the , fpace of a few yards,
when ; (he dives, and the young ones,
who ?re left floating pr| the water, are
obliged to take care Qf themfejves.
One feldom fees thpfe birds on land
afterwards, for they generally live in
the damp rocks in the (<?a, and feed
on infe&s and (ea-weed$ ?
, One female, during ths whole time
of Jaying, generally glv99 half a pound
of down, whish fo however reduced
to one half after it is cleanfed.
The dgwn Is divided into tkang-duun
(lea-wepd down) gnd gWfttfW (graft

£ <Jowii).

[ *& 1

down). The laft fott is thought to*
be the beft> and is clean fed in the fol-
lowing manner: fome yarn is ftreak-
ed in a Tquare compartment round
a hoop, on which the down is laid.
A pointed piece of wood is then
moved backwards and -forwards on
the lower fide of the yarn thus ftr£ak-
ed, which caufes the coarfer feathers
to fall through, while the fine dowtt
remains on the yarn. -

Down plucked from dead rider-
birds is of little Worth, becaufe it
has then loft the greateft part of its
elafticity ; fbr this reafon it is of
little valSe iri Iceland.- The other fort
ik (bid at forty-five firfi a : pdund' When
cleanfed, and at fixfeen fifli when itbt
clean fed. Therfc are generally export-
ed every year on tft€ compariyV 'ac-
count 1500 of 20 oaf pounds of doWa
cleanfed and not cfeanfed, exclttfive
of what is * ^riviteiy exported by Fo-
reigners 4n-the year 1750, the Ice-
fend coihpariy fold %fe frtath in (Jttfthtl-
ty of this 'article, as amounted €&$jjLrpr
fix-collars, befidtes whrititoafc ftArt di-
deftly to-Gludkftadti- : " •

: > -•* Among

I 147 }

Among the land birds that are eat*
able, ptarmigan? are npt to be forgot*
ten, ajtid are caught in great numbers,
Falcons alfo abound in the ifland, of
which there are three forts : they are
purchafed by t;he royal falconers, who
give fifteen rix-dollars each bird for
the whi^e,, t?n £ojr;thofe that are darl(*
coloured, and &ven for the. grey,

Ka LETTEH

( 14* 3

LETTER XIIL
To Chevalier Ihre.
Of the Iceland Trade.

Stockholm,, Nov. 1 2, i 774.

THE Iceland trade has been fub-
je& to many revolutions. Till
the year 1400 the Norwegians were
almoft the only nation who (ailed to
Iceland, and bought all the fifh the

^ Icelanders did not confume or export
in their own (hips. The EnglUh after-
wards had this trade till the Reforma-
tion, when it fell into the hands of
the Germans, and was particularly ad-
vantageous to the Hamburghers. But
Chriftian the Fourth, who had the im-
provement of the whole Danifh trade
very much at heart, dire&ed his atten-

• tion likewife towards Iceland. He
prohibited the trade of the Hans-towns
thither in the year 1 602, and beftowed
it on Copenhagen, Malmo, and fome

other

T *49 3

other towns at that time fubjeft to the
crown of Denmark* . ■ •

The Iceland company at Copen-
hagen was, however, not eftablifhed
till the year 1620* after the king had
once more prohibited the trade of the
Hans-towns to Iceland in 1 61 9. This
corripany continued till the year 1 662,
when* it was fuppreffed by a fpecial
order* What contributed to this was
the great damage done in Iceland
by fome pirate in 1627, who carried
away a great number of its inhabitants ;
the greater part of whom were, how-
ever, redeemed by the king nine years
after* The king refented this fo much
the more, as the Iceland company had
not only undertaken to provide the
country with all neceflary articles, but
likewife to proteft it. This circqm-
ftance produced a difagreeable effect to
the company, which was, that thole who
had (hares in the flocks of 1 000 rix-dol-
lar, only recfeived 500 ; and thole who
had (hares of 200 rix-dollars, received
not the lead con fi deration. The com-
pany paid a certain fum to the king for
every haven, and two rix-dollars to the
K 3 governor

t \*50 1

goVeri&of for -every ihip. It -Wfts 4iJcif»
Wife obliged to contribute faraetbing
to the king's magazines on the Veft*
fcuuxns Elands*

The trade of every haven, was isifter*
Virards dHpofed of to the.higheftbiddar
once in every fix years,; but fince i 754
. it has been in the poffeffion of a trad*
ing Company, who have a grant of it*
for which they :, pay a duty df?6ooQ rix*
dollars a year ti> the king. -. £Fhey fe&d
from 24 to 30 Chips thither ^cvery year*
loaded with corn* bread, wine* /iron,
and wood, &c* and they export in re*
turn from 22 4 havens, fi(h> flefli, .but*
. ter, .blubber; fkiris, wool, and woollen
manufactures, which they exchange
for the merchandize, brought thi-
ther according to a tax fet in the year
1702. It is difficult to determine
whether the company gains much by
this trade or not ; fo much at Acaft is
tertain, that the! Icelanders lofe; by- Ltj
for the Dutch* disregarding or :eyad-
ing die tax, import much better goods
than the company. For this.neafon
the Icelanders fell a confidembjk; quan*
tity of fifli to them privately, itfeotngh

feveral

{ i5% J

fevgra} Dutct G &Lps :h$v& bqetn ~co^
filiated on accQuat : of Garry iqg on ?
Onuggling trade. The affent§ of die
Iceland company are .aw%re, of this,
<b$* the fmall (lock that remains for their
qpiirqhaie, with which they are much
difTatisfied.

There it a market kept every year
at Hraundals-retter, to which thofe re-*
fort who live up the country ;\ they ex-
change butter, cloth, and fheep,, for
fifh, blubber, and other articles of, that
kind. At Reikavik there is a woollpn
manufactory, where twenty or thirty
workmen are employed : one likewife
meets with a few looms here and there;
and many more might be eftablifhed
among the peafants, if encourage-
ment was given them*

Danifh money is current in the
country, but the whole flock of ready
money cannot amount to many thou-
fand rix-dollars. Their accounts are
not all kept in money, but according
jo yards $nc| fifties : 48 fifties, each
fifh reckoned at two pounds, make
one rix-dollar, and twenty-four ells
make one likewife. You may buy a
K4 horfe

i Hi 3

hoffe tot i$b fifh, and a forrtTfolr 6otfd
fclli* A frarf is five lifpfujtd, and k
fatrirtg ten pounds. They reckon 1 6j
qriarts trt a tun, and five to a kutmt*
The . Icelandic ell is as long agu-fife
Hamburgh . ell, three of which itvakp
ft fathom#

LfcfTtffc

L E TTER XIV*

To Chevalier I h r e.

Of the Icelandic Literature*

Stockholm* Dec- 4, 1774%

THE hiftory of antient times (hews
us that our anceftors did not
defpife arts and fciences, though they
peculiarly diftingutfhed themfelves
by valour and heroic deeds. Theijr
religion, mixed with fables,' was,
liowever, Sreduced to fomerule; .and
their fyftem of,morality> though not
the pureft apd beft> however inculr
dated certain virtues that were in vain
fought for among the more enlight-
ened Greeks and lioroans. The long
voyage* thsy made without knowing
the ufe of the compafs, is a proof
of their having been much better ac-
quainted with aftranonjy and geogra-
phy, than could have been expected.
jPhyfic, and particularly furgery, muft

havs

f w ]

have been held in high efteem among
fo warlike, % nation, though: I gueftion
Very much whether any perfon would
now fubnrifc tPrthe ipanner of curing
an external hurt, fuch as was prac-
tifed among the antient$» . Their in-
vention exhibits itfelf in fiddles, hif-
tory, and poetry ; and how highly thefe
were valqed' among Jiheitf, may be
proved by many examples, of which
I (halt ofily -mention ^^k-poeni, \\h
fyraife of Erick Blodoxe, Jfciftg of Nor-
way, by wftiGh he &ved hit "life'; anil
tfiarne's epitaph on kirig Frode, on.acr
count of which he is fa id to have betf*
made king of Denmark. . ^

-Though it cannot be entirely afiter*
taihed, that Odin brought the Runte
characters to the north; yet it* i*
proved almoft beyond a doubt, that
they were known among us in the fiftk
and fixth centuries. The art of wri-
ting was alfb known here, if not cer-
tain, at leafl:, as early as among the
Franks and Germans ; the former had
•no letters before they began to make
ufe of the Latin ones in the fixth cen-
tury, and the latter were likewife urt-
I acquainted

ftfcqumhted with them before the thtw
of -Charles le Gros.

*" Their tafte for riddles, ftories, and
poetry, the Icelanders alfo brought
along with them from their native
country, to the ifland where they are
How fettled ; andwhiHl thefe traces of
(cience diminilhed in Norway, on ac*
count of the troubles which fhook.the
whole north during foveral centuries,
they not only preferred themfelves in
Iceland, which was not expoied : co fo
many difturbances> but the cafe of
their iafety-likewife excited the inhabi-
tants td apply themfelves to the itudy
of hiftory, that they might by it be in*-
formed of * the defignfs of their power-
ful neighbours, ^nd take the beft and
moil neceflary meafures t-o opptffe thafe
who. only wiftied for an opportunity of
fobjefting them to their yoke.

It is true they had no fohook or pub-
ticfemmaries for theinftruclion of youth
in the fciences before the introduction
of the Chriftian religion ; but it was,
however, not altogether negle&ed, for
they took great pains, befides inuring
the • bodies of their young men to

feats

[ *S6 1

feats of flxength and agility, and teach-
ing them fuch exercifes as enabled them
to defend themfelves and their coun-
trymen, to inftrud: them alfo in hiftory,
religion, and law* Thence we find in
their antient chronicles frequent men*
tion of perfons who had made con*
fiderable progrefe in thefe fciences,
and even before they received theChri£
ttan religion there were many in the
country well verfed in the laws.

In their frequent voyages, before the
ufe of the compais (Leitarftein) was
known to them, they difcovered new
countries, when driven out of their
courfe, which were however deferted
almoft as foon as found out ; yet fame,
if not all of them, have been difcovered
in later times*

Thus Biorn Herjulffson, in a voyage
he made to fee his father in Greenland,
was driven by a ftrong north-wind upon
a flat woody country, from whence he
afterwards reached his father, after
a long and troublefome voyage, with
out thinking any more of his new
difcovery. After the death of his fa*

ther*

C 157 1

ther, he again returned to Norway;
where, the account of his voyage railed
an inclination in one Leifer to go in
fearch of this country. He therefore
fft fail with 35 men, and at firft landed
on a mountainous country covered with
fnow, without the leaft appearance of
verdure: from whence he continued
his voyage, and came to another coun-
try that was flat and woody ; this he
called , Markland, He fet fail again
with a north-eaft wind, and in two
days time arrived at an ill and that lay
north of the continent. He now en-
tered weftward into a ftrait, where his
Chip ftruck on the fand at low wa-
ter ; he then had it drawn alhore with
cables, and having built a houfe, re-
mained there the whole winter : here
they did not experience the*leaft cold*
and the grafs only grew a little reddilh
in winter* The days were not of Co
unequal a length as in Iceland ; and the.
fiin appeared above the horizon on the
(horteft day, both when they breaks
failed and at fupper-time. The vine
and wheat both grew wild, and this
pccaiioned his giving the naoje , of

Vineland

Vineland to the country. Thi* gives
us room to conjecture that he advanced
pretty far towards the (buth of Ame-
rica. They afterwards carried on a
trade with the natives of the country,
whom they called Skraltngar, for a
long time ; this, however, ceafed at
Jaft, and the country, and even its
name, are now totally forgotten.

Poetry formerly flouriflied very much
in Iceland, Egil Skallagrimfon, Kor*
mak Ogmundibn, GlumGeir(bn f Thor-
leif Jarlaa, Skald, and Finarhelgefbn,
Sighvatr, Thordfon, Gunlaug Orm-
ftunga, and Skad Rafn, are celebrated
as great poets. The art of writing was
not, however, much in ufe till after the
year iooo. It is true the Runic cha-
racters were known in the country be-
fore that period, and moft probably
brought thither from Norway. Tho f
we have no reafbn to believe they were
Cut upon ftones* as was pra&ifed among
firs (for no Runic (tones have been
found there, Whofe age reaches to the
times of Paganifm) ; . they ufed, how*
Gver, to fcratch them on bucklers, and
fometimes on their cielings and walls *

and

and the Laxdada Saga makes mention
of lone Olof of Hiardarhuit, who had 5
a large houfe built, oh the beams
and rafters of which remarkable fto-
rfes are faid to have been marked, in'
tfie fame minuter as ThorJul Hake cud.
atf acc6urit of his own deeds on his
bedftead ahd chair. That Runtt chd-
rafters were made ufe of before the
introduction of the Chriftian religibh,
may be prdved by CHof Tryggwaf 1
(bin's Saga, %hfcre he makes mention
of a man, Mrhofe name was Oddni,
who, being dumb, made : known, by'
riietfhs' 6f Runic characters, that ( he
H&d been infnltecJ by Ivar, his father's
gdeft.

After tifte reception of die Chrif-
tian refi^bh in the year iooo, the
fclentes <c5bk Another form. The
Lfeltin ch^k&ers were immediately
adopted, ;as the Rrinlc alphabet, which
oMy canfifts of 16 letters, Was found
iHRifficf <?nt: The firft ictfandie bifliop,
fflfeff, Folded a fbhool a Skalihoh ;
afcd fbdn afte¥ they foutfddd fbur other
fthools, in ifrhich the yotith Were in;
ftro&ed in thelrtktiri toflgde; ttitinity •

and

r 1*0. i

and (brae parts of theoretic philosophy.
Jonas , Ogmundflbn, firft bifhop of,
Hoolum, fent to Gothland in the year
1 1 20 for one Gifts Finfon to fuperin-
tend the fchool at Hoolum. Arngriro
Jonfon, on this occafion, mentions 9
remarkable circumftance in his Grymo-
gaea t p. 108. of the architect Tho-
rodr, who, as he was employed in
building the cathedral church at Hoo-»
ium, paid lb much attention to the
grammatical leflbns given tp thefchool-
boys, as to make a confiderable pro^
grefs in them himfelf. The fame author
alfo mentions, that the bifhop, who
was a learned and zealous man, having
one day furprized one of the fcholars
in reading Ovid's letters, and book Ue
Arte Amandi, was fo incenfed thereat as
to ftrike the book out of his hand* At
a time when no great knowledge of
the Latin language could be expected,
even in < Sweden, an Icelander how*
ever was found of fufficjent capacity
and learning to inftruft the young:
people to read and understand the.
Latin poets. But notwithftanding.
the fciences were there only in their

in

ipfancy, f thpfe who defined to melw
greater jprqgrefi iq them, ftiidied in
^ or i?ign Vuniyerfities, Giflur Ifleifson
ftudiecl at Erfurt ; and many reforted
to Paris, ; as , Samu ridr ' Sjgfuflbn did, '
from whence they are' called Parife
Jarkar (Paris-writers). t Many, how*
evety whojfe names are celebrated,
iludied only in Iceland : ' as a proof of
which, T will only mention the two
mod famous Icelandic writers, Arc
Frode and Snorre Sturlefbn. It may
therefore be affirmed that Iceland, from
the introduction of the Chriftiari reli-
gion there till the year 1264, when it
became fubjeft to Norway, was one
of the few countries in Europe, and
the only one in the north, where the
faiences were cultivated and held in
efteem. This period of time alfo pro-
duced more leaped men than at any
other period fince. We need only read
their antient chronicles, to be con-'
vinced that they had great know-
ledge in morality, philofophy, natural
hiftory, and aftronomy. They had
tolerably clear ideas of divinity, and
Wfed to' read the Fathers : but their
. ! : ' L poetical

•^

I l62 1\.

poetical and hiftbrical pf6rfuftltitts f m
particular, Have Bid defiance to timd**
even when ignorance wias again be-
ginning to refume her empire. It
would 'W an eafy riiatter to mention a
number of poets who cUftinguiftJed'
thenifelves, not only in IceFaiid ahd v
the Orkneys, but likewife at the Swe-
di(h, D'anifli, Norwegian, and EngliQT
courts, as the Skafdartal (or Eft of
poets) contains no lefs than 246: but
it would befuperfluous to mention here
any more than the three principal
ones ; viz. Snorre Sturlefon, who was
beheaded in the year 1 241, in the
63d year bChis age, at fteikfcolt in
Iceland ; Olafr Hbitafkald, . who died
in 1259; and-Sturla Thordfori, who
endedliis lifein,i2S4- Some extra£i§~
of tire works of thefe authors are in-*
ferted in priritecf as well as manufcfipt
chronicles.

Of much' greater importance afcT
tl^eir Trying? or T hiftories, the utility \
and authenticity 1 of which have caufed*
fo many f !difputes.: for if they have^
been cqnljdered' by fbrae as (bre and*
irrefragable fupports of the hiftoiy '

of

of 6iir foft&hers, they fi&ve been
looked vtpdti by others /as 1 abfurd hi*
Veiitiota and fafflidods, and belong to
tne' fame cfefe as the niftdfy of tlib
"fcrilght ftnfce^ fdrttihatus, tlie horri-
"ed, ^iegfHe'q, and otHei* old woniehs
Wes. ThtihUiiopMbtt ii no le'fs tirf-
r^afottable, than art eicefi ofvenera-
t&h paid tt> then! would tie iiiconfide-
iitii affd yklli. *, 'Whe'il they are' con-
itiltbd with circumfpertion and judg-
ment, they are" tfndoubt&dly' of great
iife ; , & ftiacft the more', as they ace
itid Griiy fem'kliitrtg mdriinterits of the
itHtfedc nojtnefb hiftofy ; sin# Indeed
toh4e of tfteihare wrtfteif with great
judgment atfa petfptcdity:

The 1 Abe ' Frodes 'Sche&e^ere Writf.
^A fih'ce itii, atitf are the moft
dhtient' Icekhdic accounts ekta'rtt;
*flfe writings 1 of StUrleion, Gun^
Uug, C&deY and feWral others, ar£
aft of the J k works tha^ will nevei
bV lort or mart by time ; and i cio
nod find any &ihg tWein that (hou'W
uVdiice lis fb 5 deny them the fame
"credit fffat' we fo; impficitty give t6
the writings of Tacitus and JLivy.

La No

: t 164 ]

ft

^ No. one can doubt,; thstt. even thcfe
~aythors in jhe compUapion of, thck
j^iftories,. : tHat have i^een considered
las. patterns* of language,- have made
~ufe of the information pf. other writ-
ers- Nor, h&ve our Icelandic hiftor
ri^ns been reniifs in this $ 'for Sturlefon
hitnfelf quotes an Ate, a*Thiodolfr, the
Jangfedgatah; ov genealogical table,
4nd fome. anient fongs that celebrated
their kings ; from wliich indeed, he
.compiled his accounts.

/The Icelanders were, remarkabily
(tudious in, preferving the memory of
iheir anceftors ; and it was the mod
agreeable occupation in f their meetings
arid^aflemblies, to repeat thofe hittor
rjes and poems for which their great
jiien had been renowned, .as was alfp
the pra&ice among the Greeks. Add
to this, the contents andcpmpofition of
the writings th^mfelves jplainly prove,
that the au theirs , have not been in-
clined to relate .patyeUoiis ftories;
£nd it would be unjuft' to' refule
them that^ reliance on. their vera*
city, which we without. hefitationbe-

-'■' fto\^

c w i

lrbifr- on other writers of the fame
clafs.

The greateft part of their works
were compofed in the iith, 12th,
I zth, and 1 4th. centuries ; and fome
6? them have even appeared in print.
I have a lift of thefe hiflpries in my
po^ffioh $ and though they are by
no l ^neans of the feme degree of merit,
it will perhajps 'noi be difagreeable to
you i 6 have a copy of 'the lift f as it is
not only a proof of their love of fciehce,
but like wife of thefr application.

As a further inftance of their accu-
racy and affiduity in ftudy, I mull
fikewife mention their chronicles, in
which they recorded whatever hap-
pened of importance both in Iceland
arid abroad. Thefe annals are.' in ge-
lieriii^confidf red as more ^authentic
th^tf their layings. Semupdir r atnd Are.
$VOafe f were tfce Bffjt i who' introduced 1
theni, arid^ they have fince been con-
tinued down to bur days. The fol-
lowing are confjdered as the beft -;
' i? ?t«/ipy4^ >*a^^/j-, ] that jrfeae^ to .the
y6a£J395, an4W~tfhich/ A ' V /

if jL 3 2. VaHs-

2. Vainsfiardar Annals, is a topple*
merit that extends to iooo. ^ f

t 3. Skalljwlt. . V- *

A. /ffl/tf. , ♦

. r * ; '. * j • * ' -» t. tJltsV*

5. Odda*' -

6. Blums a Skardzad to 1*64^ fef

. 1 .• * •' . . . > » • rF*A7 lo

which,

i..l v

; 7. Hefts jfnnqils, th^t continues 4<W?l

8. Odds Eirikfonar a fitiumio, 1 '68b.'
* ' 9. Aimal&'^fcjjii,' $at reach tq the!

.jo.. frrdflgM.. v< - : ,, i; ..... c v .. ;
ji. haurmanna. ." '...«

.13. Annales antiqui,
^. Annates vetuifyores, reach, pq

fiihjecY'to the r f^^fe^ut^ ^
' u " T .-haYC experienced everywhere
j ' elfe»

f h 6 7 J

elfe. The luftre in which they had
maintairifed thetnMVe's* fo long,- wafc
fuccefed&! 'by t thc : 'tnoft ;profbunti ob-
fcurity/ ! *To give-^'-fclearfer^idtea of
this/ I ! ihalFbbrrbw: the expreffions of
the tea'rrfed iwfhop off Skallhokf, Dr.
Fmneusy ! bn tWsotrcaKoh, who coni-
parts^eftate of tfiifr* ftiencesm Ice-
land- to tfeerfbttr ttlfgtes" of human life,
In ; his '1^4*rdi£ttitf rficcl. TCfenai*.
Tfifc iinfahl^ '^xtettdea ~ to the year
to^i ^ni\f iJ flie ihtfodaftioh of thte
GbHffi^^eII|lon' tof6 r dticcd the ftVft
da^Wtov ^heir^buch txll ijop,
wfie* *f<&bW were firft 'eftaMfflied,
and tW^ttcationahd inftru&ion of
youth^fcegan -to be more attended to
tjran^fBf^ *Ph«r nianly age lafred
till about the middle of th6 fourteenth
century/ When Ieeiiand produced the
^reateftunmbet'bf learned uteri. Old
age ! apipeai , *d : towards the end of this
&m<r 'fourteenth cerrriiry; when the
feiencts gradually: decrealed, and
were afattbft entirely tfitinft, ho work
of any mfcrit appearlHgi Hiftory how
drodped her head, poetry had - no re-
iith, arid all thfe; other fciences- were

'''"'■' ■'• ' ''■•'*• " ! t'4 " • en-

[ *& .1 ...

fefavelopcd in darknefs. The fchoqla
began, to decay,, and in many place*
they rven had none at all* It w#? very
^ncoipmon for any, one to; understand
Latin, and fewp^ieft^pQiil^^rth j^uen-
cy read their breviary find rityals. .

But this was not the . cafe aiptje in
Iceland, the greater .part^f $ujrope
experienced the, ^me^chwige. k \ ;For
the. dawn of ^mas^hxx^^:^^ that
h^d begun, to |(p^^
:^y .?ffd;tjic %!$? e W l^rt.pfj Eu^qpe,
,?fter x the takingjf^.^ by

thp Turks. in, .145 y Jajid^nQt gret pener
tjrajted to the no£t^« Ck ;.M(hfJ^¥frt bore
.the: naflie of learning was not^n^, de-
; ipifed ; but fogrofs was their ignpr^nce,
that men of : the higheft ranfc, c j bpth
fpiritual and terappral, were incapable
o.f writing .their names* We : vcannot
wonder, at thfs in Iceland, when the
hiftory of the. church affords fo many
examples of bifliops who were prefent
at councils, at the con clufio#r pf which
they caufed to. be written, under ; the
a&s, , quoniam Dominus , N. t Epifcopuf
fcribere nefcit rr idw epts loto fubjcripfit
N. N* We are jlfq informed, that the

ignorance

igjw^i^.of thU agc^as fo great, that

icar<#.:^ Qtffta*

VvusJ.j&new haw^Jrq., write his name*

Jn %hp annals joS Kmivgqoch Jlofditiga

Jly r ?ljk > (C^PP ^ -j *? c k q j written by
bi&ofl r Bfyn9lf 'Car$gn f who died at
Sbup ^.1430) it is .feifU no more ought
to b^rcaiilred of ajfovereign, than to
know rhaw - to i;ea4, juiderftand, and
explala, his letters, : y. :

,p;T^|^form^ here, as

.in mofL places^ a new dawn of Hpow*
ledge. Some time ^before a printing
prefs. Jiad. been ^fought to Iceland,
bifhop : Giflur prapofecLto open a pew
fphool in the ooav,ent of Videy, which
had been feised by the crown ; but as
this had b^en defigned for a dwelling*
place to jthe king's receivers of the
cjuftoms^C^iftbnJII* iii theyear 1 55%,
commanded that a (efcool-houfe fhould
bfB built jiear .each of the cathedral
churches ; that at* Skallholt for forty
fcholars, , and that at Hoolura for
thirty-four; but fince they have beeni
. reduced, the one to thirty-four, rand
the other to twenty-fpur fcholars.
Each of thefe fchools was to be pro-
vided

, vi^ed with a re&or and an affiftant
te^bh^V^hd'-^/.Xung' ^jftbptfatad
as iiiiich land to t^fe fouiidatioriy, as
wa f s ftffficient td afford tolerabfe' fa-
laries to the teachers, and boalriLfcboks,
and'dbatMng to the Scholars grati$ f f!b
long as tfiey remained at fchoofc ' 4 '
^Great' pains have fince befti 'taSceft
to appoint men tof ktiowa^TRties tfs
teaichers to thef£ Schools j afrd j^tihg
men are fo well inftrufted /thdr^'tlult
few bf the dingy* ftudy any l yfo#kklfe>
Many Ifcelinders/ ho wever, I fttrdy at
CdpettKagen ; ahd'iti the Tear 1773,
there wtere no fefs tliarififfy-fefur at drat
'liniyerfity, vHjere excellent regiflatioris
have* been tojatfe"fbt- tHe* '^l^port' of
poor ftudenttf.. ''&on)e fike>^e' j /ttidy
la foreign urtiverlitles 5 'xrtSl ^between
1760 arid 1^79 a' TiativebF Iceland,
Paul VWidalih by ^ine^ cH«i< at Lelr^
'fic, \y hd \V?k "urii Verfatry fceToyiea; ' anti
efteemed there.' A Mr. Thorotti; who
hds * been aboVe three years rt a£ Up&l>
hasJfk'eWilfe oh M'occafions !: fliewn
•himfelf a man of great oiferit.^
A We fliould ' therefore form a very
wrong judgment' of Jcejand^ to ima-

... ... . ...1. * gme

( *7* J

gipe it ^bfqrbted in total Impj&acc and
obfcilpty : oft the ebqfr^ry, j can af-
flr^ &at I have fc>und more know-
ledge amoftg the lower ..claisj than. «
totjie met Hvith in moft other places*
Yop will feltfoixj find a. peafant wfcdp
befides bejng well-inftVu#ed in the
g^i)ci£le§ of religion, i? ijot alfo ac-
^liainfed >yith the hiftory of his coun-
ytyt which" proceeds frpm the frequent
reading dPttSefr traditional hiftorie?
{fagas) wjiereift confifts their principal
amufepient : \pqr is it pncommpn tp
find perfons among them who can re-
peat the poems of Kolbein Grimfon,
SJgurd Cfifle, and Gudmund IJergr
thors by heart, all of whopi were poet*
that flouriffyed in later time? ; an(J
among wJhom Vigfus JonlTpq has par*
ticularly 4i^irtgui{hed himfelf by hl#
witj, though ibmetimes at the expenc^
of decency* The clergymen fpeajj
Latin well ; and I have fpund better
libraries in many parts of Ic^Japd thaij
could have been expected*

A learned fpciety wa? ere&ed here*
which is fpoken of In the. preface of
She abave-meptioi\?d Specu,Uim Re*

gale

£ *7* 3

jgaie^undcr the name r /of Sopieta$* iiir
vilibilis; 'and I was^' in|irost^ly",ja^
duainted ', with the \ rector Jlalfdaji
^jharfori, and : rfie late fyilelmah Bjarne
lialldorCpri, who were bpth msmj^rs
^ of that fpcTety^ though I believe it- does
not exlft at prefent* I could mention
Keveral wlioie learning an$«tafte did h<^
nour to VheV country, \mt r I ihall only
name thbfe who have acquired moil
fame in the literary world." V v ^
\ Among tWefe the blfhop of Skallholt,
pr. Finriyr Jfonfon, deferyes the tfrft
place.; wlio^ befides many learh?4
Writings on , the antiquity of Ice^
laftd, fome of which haW. been pufr-
litiied* has lately prelerit^d* the pub-
lic with an egclefiaftical / Ijiftory, li|
Ihree volumes "quarto, .replete witft
mformation, criticifmi and erudition*
\ was happy in, becoming more IritL-
Inately acquainted with this worthy
prelate, wIjlo' has been bifliop ever
fince 1754, and found no.lefs inftruc-
tton , than plealure in his company ^
,You may eafily conceive how much I
WUhed, at taking leave of him, that
his advanced age would permit him to
' * put

i ^3 $

put a finifhing ftroke ta his other
works. We have foiiie reafori to hope
for this at preferit, as oiie of his loris,
the learned Mr. John Finflbri, has lately
beetf appointed his father's affiftant and
prwoft. . " ;

'' ;i f o this ntttpb^r alfo belong Halfdan
XJnarfon, fe&or of the fehool/of Hoo-
lum, who has ptibliflied the SpeCulum
"Regale, and h now employed in writ-
ing the HiftoriaLiteraria Iflandiae. The
prdvoft and minifter of Hiardarholt,
Ghmiar Paulfen, is juftly celebrated oh
account of his great knowledge in an?
tient poetry. Bjarnejonfen, redlorof the
fchoolat Skallholt, compofes very good
Latin' verfes, and has a diftertation of
Gangdagarnt ready for the prefs. l Bjarne
Patilfen, in company with Eggert O-
lofsen, made a journey through Iceland
to collect manufcripts and curiofities at
the expence of the fociety of fciences.
Tlie lagman Sven Solvefen has published
feveral law-works ; as has llkewife the
vicd^lagman Jon Olflbni and ihh prO-
Vofts Vigfus Jonfen and Gudlaug Thor*
geirfbn, belides feveral others,

* The profefTor ahd counfellor of ftate;
jErichfen; who is not fettled hr Iceland,

is KWe wife Known' oh Account otmztvy
dHlertattons on antiquities, and is a
tifefiil member of tl>e CoUegJi &ag-
naeani. Arnas Magnatl$ f Torfeus* and
feveral ottier Icelanders, Have alfi> par-
ticularly diftinguifhed themfelves fot
literature in this and tjie. former cen-
tury, rfliall give a fuller account of
them in another letter, wherein I pro-
pofe to treat of the Iceland antiqui-
ties in particular* where t flxali ilfo
mention thofe who Have peculiarly *fif
tinguiChed themfelves in that brairck of
literature.

The language in Iceland is th^ fame
as that formerly (poke in Sweden,
Denmark, and Norway, and has pre-
ferved itfeif fo pure, that any UtlaBr
der underftands the molt antient tra-
ditional hiftory, as eafily as we do let-
ters written in the time of Charles IX.
The general change that took place
in the northern language during and
after the time of Erick of Pomerank,
did not extend to Icelaftd, tho' fome
trifling alterations were afterwards
made in it in the fifteenth centiiryv by
the introduction of religion and their

trade

tfade Wfth the tfanes, EngHflv arid
Gentians. Near, the cbafts fbpie Da-
hifli fe uriderftbod, aricf forrie even
fpetik it"; nor i* if Uncomniori for a
peafant to fay, Salve domine, bonus
dies, bonus vejpet r gratias, j>roficiatt
dofnihus -tecum, vale. NotwitKftarid-
mg, r cannot agree with Sperling in
'corifi&eririg the 1 language as being
ftidre DahifK thirx Relaridip, fince riot
a Angle word o£ Daniffi is urid^rftood
lii {he interior parts of the country.
The great pleafufe they firidtiri reading
their; traditional. hiftories^ has contri-
buted riot a Tittle to prefer ve the lan-
guage in its purity.

You have yourfelf treated of its
origin in the preface to your Swedifh-
Gothic Di&ioriaf y ; arid one niay form
the beff judgment of the language from
Olof -Tryggtfratfbn's and fointf other
fcftfforical traditions \[flgas\* that were
written in the eleventh, twelfth, and
thirteenth cent urifes, when it was in
its gireatefl! purity. But as the£e works
are not In every perlon s 'haridsj I
will lierq irifeft a copy of the Lord's
flayer as a- (ample,' both a$ U was ex-

prefled

prefled and printed in 1585*, and in
1746, which will clearly point out the
(mall change that the language has
undergone during a fpace or njsar. 200

years, /. . * ''.

; ,•'"'••" *^>' ' -V'.. -
Fader vor~ thu feni ert a hininum.

Helgjft nafn thitt. Tflkome thitt

t like, Verde thinn vilie fo a jo'rdu

fem a himne. Gief ofs i dag vort

dagligt braud* Og fyrerlat 0(5 vo-

rar (kullder, fi> em* vier fyrerlautum

voriim fkulldunautum, Og inleid

ols ecki i freittne. Helldr frelfa

thu ofs af illu, thiiiat thitt er riikit,

maattur og dyrd r urn allder aflda,

Ameon*

' _ :," 1746. '

Fader vbr thu (em ert a himnum*

helgesft thitt nafn, tilkomme thitt

rike, verde thin vilie, lb a jordu

fern a himne, Gief thu ofs i dag

Vort daglegt braud, og fyrer gief

ofs yorar fkullder, fo fem vier fyrer-

giefum vorum fkulldunautum, og

innleid ofs ecke i freiftne, helldur

frelfa thu ofs fra illu, thuiad thitt er

riiked og maattur og dyrd urn all*

derullda, Ameh-

{ 177 ]

In regard to the pronunciation,
they have four different dialects.
Thofe who dwell on the eaft fide of
the country, drawl out their words
in pronouncing them, which is not
done in other places. On the weftern
fide they have, many words which are
peculiar to that part of the iflfond ; and
in Snefialds Jokul the aa is pronounced
?is n%. In the foutfiern part of Iceland
o is pronounced fliort before r in cer^
tain words, as for example in bvoriger,
moraudty and others, though they are
commonly long in other parts* In the
porthern part of Iceland the words are
'quite of different genders, as Jkur %
which is ufually feminine, but there
is mafculine ; and klara> mafculine,
but is there feminine. In South IceT
land lhave obferved the following prq-
jiunciation :

A is pronounced an in tha

; a* — —

LI -

Au

U —

; Ae —

Ja

au

—

aara

dl

gamall

6

thai*

9

-r-r

upp

<?l

*r—

vaerq

iau

-~

hia

M

[ ITS ]

O *— ou — mode?

Gu ■ — guo — Gud

Y '- i — fyrer

Aef aep — kiaefda

Their alphabet confifts of the fame
letters as ours, except the (th), which
chara&er we have loft, together with
the pronunciation ; the Englifh have
yet preferved it, though foreigners
find it difficult to pronounce.

We have an Icelandic gtammar of
Runolph Jonfon, printed in quarto at
Copenhagen in 1 651 : it was alfo print-r
ed in Hickefii Elementa liguaruirj,
feptentrionalium, Oxford 1688, and
again in his Thefaurus, Oxford 1703,
But the manufcript of Jonas Magnu-r
fens's Grammatica Iflandica, in your
poflfeflion, Sir, is more complete, and
deferves to be published, as likewife
Eggert ' Olfen's Orthographia Iflan-
dica. The moft antient Icelandic
dictionary we have is the Wormii
Specimen Lexici Runici, compiled by
Magnus Olafsen, and was publifheci
in folio, at Copenhagen, in 1650*

After-?

t 179 ]

Afterwards Gudraundi Andreae Lex*
icon Iflandicum was publifhcd by
Refenius at Copenhagen, in quarto,
in the year 1683, This was followed
by Verelii Index linguae vet. Scyto-
Scandicae, that Rudbeck caufed to
be printed in folio, at Upfal, 1691,
and by two Lexica Latina Iflandica,
both published in quarto at Copen-
hagen, the one in 1734, and the other
in 1738 ; to thefe Rugman's Monofyl-
laba Iflandica Lat. Explicata, Upfala,
1 676, in o&avo, may be added. In
the library at Upfal was a copy of a
manufcript Lexicon 1(1. Lat. which I,
have brought with me from Iceland.
In the Antiquity Archives is like wife
a very ample work of Gudmundr
Olafsen, that has been augmented
jand reduced to order by Mr. Afleflbr
Gagnerus, but however raoft proba-
bly will never be printed for want
of a publiftier. It is to be lamented
that Runolph Jonfon was never able
to publifti his Lexicon Iflandicum,
though a privilege was granted him
for that purpofe in May 1 650 : we may
however fppn expeft to have fbmething

M a more

[ i8q 1

more perfeft on this fubjeft, as the Col*
legium Magnaeanum in Copenhagen
have promifed to 'continue the impor?
tant indexes, with which they have
fup plied the Krijlnifs. and Gunlattg
Qrmfiunga Sagas,

LETTER

[ 18. J

LETTER XV*

To Chevalier Ihr£«
Of Printing in Iceland.

Stockholm, Sept. 12, 1774*

I SAID in my lad letter that the art
of printing was introduced in Ice-
land a fhort time before the Refor-
mation. But as many may be fur-'
prized that books were printed there
fo early, I (hall endeavour in this to
treat more at large of the different
printing offices in Iceland.

One of the mod famous, but at the '
fame time mod illiterate ark! tur-
bulent bifhops in Iceland* was John
Arefon, bifhop of Hoolum. He made
life of many arts, and particularly of
his zeal for the Roman Catholic reli-
gion, to Undermine the king's power,
and hinder the progrefs tif the refor-
mation* His plots however fucceeded
£0 ill, that he was beheaded in 1550.
As this man was extremely ignorant/
. M 3 and

[ iSz ]

and had not the leaft knowledge of
the Latin language, which hbwever
was made ufe of in letters of ex-
communication* and other ordinances,
he commiffioned a friend to procure
him a perfon well verfed in Latin,
who might at the fame time efta-
blifh a printing-office. For this pur-
pofe John Mathieflbn, a native of-
Sweden % was recommended to him,
and he arrived in Iceland between
1527 and 1530.

I cannot determine with certainty
whether he was in orders at his arrival
in Iceland ; however I am inclined to
believe he was, from the appellation of
Sira being given him after his arrival,
which is a term applicable to the
clergy. The bifhop immediately ap-
pointed him to the prebendary of
Bridebolftad and Vefturhopi, and he
enjoyed that fituation till his death in
1567, when at a very advanced age.
Befides feveral other children he left
a fbn whofe name was John, and a
printer there in the time of bifhop
Guthrandr : he was fucceeded in the
printing-office by his fon Brandur*

John

Jon Brandfon, fon of the latter* died
in an advanced age in 1681, as pro*
voft of Hytarnas* His fon Jon Jonfen,
a clergyman, died in the fame place
in 1732. The whole family is now-
reduced to poverty.

The printing-office was immediately
eftabliftied ; and in 1531 John Ma-
thieflbn printed the firft book in Ice-
land, which was the Breviarium NLda-
rofienfe. There was like wife an edition
of this book printed at Drontheim, the
editor whereof was archbiftiop Erick
Walkendorf, but it is now very fcarce.
I do not remember to have iben this
edition mentioned any where, except
in the 28th number of the Danifh
Magazine, where a copy of it is faid
to be in the library of Mr. Klevenfeldt.
But in regard to the Icelandic edition,
it is generally believed, that not a (in-
gle copy of it remains, fince the only
one I ever heard of was in Arnas Mag-
naei's library, that was confumed in
the fire at Copenhagen in 1728.*

Befidesthe Breviarium Nidarolienfe,

he printed the Haadbok Prcejla (an Ec-

M 4 clefteftical

£ *s 4 1

defiaftteai Manual) Luther's Catechifiii*
and other books of the fame fort. Print-
ing however did not go on very well
till 1 574, when btthop Guthrandr
Thorlakfon ordered new types to be
brought thither ; whereupon, atnongft
other books, the Icelandic Bible ap-
peared iri print in folio, in the year 1
1584. The printing-office was at this
period fo well provided with types,
that two ptefTes were employed, ex*
clufive of thofe at Hoolura, where fe-
veral books Were printed arid pub*
liflied about that time. The Icelan-
dic code of laws was printed in 1578,
at Nupufell, twelve miles from Hoo*
lum, as likewife the Viti Theodori
Summaria in 1589.

The printing-office at Hoolum was
taken from Thord Thorlakfon in
1685, anc ^ transferred to Skallholt j
where one-and-forty different books
were printed : the firft of which was
Tar ad) far Lykdl, like wile Forfadra
Bok in 1686 ; and the lad, Boena-
bok Sira Thordar Bardarfonar Med
Vika Saung Olearii. utL af Sira

Steines

Steinis in i 697. But in the beginning
of this century the printing-office
T#as again removed to Hoolum, after*
bifhop Bjorn Thorleifson had bought
it, together with the privileges granted
to it, for five hundred rix-dollars ;
and the firft book publifhed on the re-
vival of printing at this place, was the
Paraphrafis Medit* Do£L John Ger-
hardi, 1703. Since this time, fome
hiftorical books, among which I will
mention, the life of Guftavus Land-
kronas, publiflied at Hoolum* in 8vo,
*756, tranflated from the Swedifhinto
the Icelandic language, have always
been publifhed here ; the greateft part
of them however are religious books.
A new privileged printing-office has
likewife lately been eftablilhed at
Hrappfey, by Olafr Olflen, where fe-
veral valuable books have been printed
. already* /

A lift of Icelandic books might
perhaps not be improper in this place ;
but as I am unable to furnifh you
with a complete one, I did not think
it worth while to fend you a catalogue

ot

[ I*, 1

of about three hundred that 1 an*
acquainted with ; of which number
however I am happy to have upwards
of one hundred now in my library.

LETTER

C t.87 1

LETTER XVt

9

To Chevalier Ihre.

Of the Remains of Antiquity in tee*
land.

Stockholm, Dec. 21, 1774*

Dear Sir,

HOW infinitely happy fhould I be*
were I able to fatisfy your curi-
ofity in refpeft to the great number
of remarkable and antient monu-
ments with which Iceland is fuppofed
to abound : but this is out of my power ;
all the information I can give you
amounts to no more than that the
country is fo deftitute of them, that
it is in vain to go in fearch of any an*
tiquities deferving the leaft notice*
There are however fome ruins of an
old caftle near Videdal, which was
formerly about, two hundred perches
h in circumference : the remains on
the north fide are about twenty

fathoms

I 1*8 ]

fathbhis in height, though they ar£
Very low toward the fouth. Near the
parfonagd Skaggeftad; at Laugernas^
are likewife forae ruins of a lefler
caftle, but it is not known by whom,
or when it was built. In other places
ai*d remains of heathen temples ; vxi:
at Midfiord, Godale, Vidvik, and
others : at Hegranas is a kind * of
antient place of execution ; there are
alfo feveral burying-placcs from the
times of paganifm, among them I (hall
only mention Thorleif Jarlafkalds,
fituate on a fmall iflandin the Oxaraa*
Some old fwords ,and helmets have
likewife been found, but they have
not cleared up any part of hiftory*
On the heaths of Thingmans and
Threkyllis are two great ftones (land-
ing upright, which moft probably
were ere&ed as monuments to the
memory of fome deceafed perfbns,
according to Odin's regulation. This
cuftom, which was long pra&ifed ill
the North, has from thence been
brought to Iceland ; though it was
not ufual in Sweden till a long time
after to put any infcription on the

monu-

[ '89 1

monument. I have been told, that
fome years ago, forty fmall figures of
brafs were found in the ground near
Flatey, reprefenting animals arid other
objefts ; bnt unfortunately they fell
into the hands of people who did not
know their value, confequently they'-
have been all loft.

There are no other monuments re^
maining of Sturlefon, befides his writ-
ings, but a mount over-grown with
grafs at Reikholt, which is faid to
have been railed from the ruins of his
houfe ; Sturlunga Reitur, the burying-
plaee of his family ; and at a little
diftance from them, Snorra Lang, one
of the fineft baths in all Iceland.
1 This bath, which is large enough to
contain 50 perfbns at one time, is in-
clofed with a wall of bafalt, and bath
incruftations ; k has a fmooth level bot-
tom, and is furrounded with benches.
In Sturlelbn's time a long covered paflr
age led from thence to the dwelling-
houfe, fo that the bathers retired from
the bath without being expofed to the
cold. The fpring is at forty paces
diftance, and is called Scribla, and
5 &<?

[ 190 ]

the water from it is conveyed to the
hath through a conduit made of (tones.
At the end of this conduit is a hole in
a rock, which is (hut with a fpigot and
faucet, through which you let in as
much Warm water as you think fit ;
this, when too hot, may be eafily
cooled by the water from an adjoining
brook.

Thefe are almoft the only antient
Bionuments Iceland affords, and what,.
51s you will readily allow, are of very
Uttle importance. There are no an-
tient manufcripts, Icelandic fagas, or
hiftorical traditions or accounts to be
met with, the ifland having been en*
tirely ftripped of them, owing to the
zeal and induftry of the antiquarians
and others, who formerly reforted in
jlumbers to this country fpr the fole
end of collecting them.

The honour of having firft begun to
collect them belong? to Sweden : the
firft who undertook it was Jonas Rug*
man, who went to Iceland in 166 1, at
the expence of the court of Sweden,
where he obtained a number of manu-
fcripts, which laid the foundation foy
? the

die colie&ion of Icelandic original re-
cords, that are contained in the Swe-
difti archives of antiquities. Encourag-
ed by his example, ThormodrThorfve-
fbn likewife went to Iceland, furntihed
with an order from king Frederic the
Third, of the 27th of TSEay 1662, t6
the bifhops Bryniolf, Svenflbn, and.
Gifle Thorlakfon, to aflift him in col*
le&ing Icelandic manufcripts.

After the eftablifhment of the col*
lege of antiquities it was propofed to
ffend Peter Salan to Iceland; but this
did not take place, though they gained
their point fome time after, in 1686,
by means of Gudmundr Olfon, who
prevailed upon his brother HelgeOMbh
to leave Iceland and come to Sweden,
whither he brought a confiderablfe
tiumber of manufcripts. Great addi-
tions were afterwards made to thefe
colle<9tipns by Arngrim Jonfen, Jonas
"Wigfufen, Lopt Jofephen, Gudmund
Gudmunderfon, and Thorvaldr Brock-
pian, and who were all employed as
tranflators by the college of antiquities.
Jonas Eghardfen, Magnus Benedi&fen,
Ifleif Thorleifsen, JEjnar Ejnarfen,
Ama^ Hakanfcn, Francis Jacobfen, and

Thord

[ l 9* 1
Thord Thorlakfen have alfb very
much enriched the collection, both
when the college of antiquities was at
Upfal, and when it was afterwards
transferred to Stockholm.

The attention of the Danifli court
was qt laft excited : king Chriftian the
Fifth, the 4th of April 1 685, difpatch-
fid Thomas Bartholin to Iceland, with
an order to the bailiff Heidemann to
^flift him in colle&ing Icelandic anti-
quities : he forbad at the fame time,
in the ftri&eft manner, any manu-
scripts, hiftories, or other accounts
relating to Iceland, to be fold to
foreigners, or . carried out of the
country;

Stockholm, as well as Copenhagen,
became therefore poffeft of a confide-
rabje number of antient Icelandic
writings ; but tjie latter court not fa-
tisfied with wh^t they h^d already ob-
tained, difpatched.Arnas Magn'ius and
Paul Widalin to: Jceknd ia 1712;
where they fayght far wh^tev^r might
remain there with fych extreme care,
that it is alnjoft impoffible to get fight
of any manufcript hiftory in the whole
^oi;ntryjandnotwithftandingthepains

; I have

[ t *93 ] ,
iteve taken; I could only by purchafc^
t$btaiii an imperfect copy of the Scur-
luiiga Sagal . .-. . ,

It is in vaiaj therefore; to encjuirfc
fbr atitieiit Icelandic chronicles, in
Iceland ; for befides the fine collection
in the SwediCh archives of antiquities,
there is a veiy admirable colle&ion of
|henjt in tHe library of the academy at
Copenhagen; that was a gift of Arnas
Magnaus ; bfcfides feverai filial! col-
lections of lefs importance in the Haliids
b'f private perfdnsu , > s /

I hivfc already mentioned tHe Ice-
landic hiftdrifes that have been j>ub-
lifhed : fdnie of tliem were printed in
Iceland, airiong which thofe printed
at Skallhblt are very rare J but the
greateft part Have beeri pubMied ia
Sweden; though fometirries ; from very
iniperfe<3 ni.ariulcriptsi Olof Rqabeck
the elder; Vefrelius, the two Pering-
ikolds, Renhielm, Biorner, Salan, and
Brokman; Have hoWevfcr acquired a
great deal of merit by the care and
diligence that they beftowed upon
{hem. None of thefe editions how-*
N ever

t 194 ]

ever can Be compared; in prriftt of_
elegance arid critiGifm, to thofe pub-
liflied in Copenhagen, by the M^g-
naaniah .College, the coaatinuatiou of
which is- expe&ed with great impft»
then ce . by the literary tvorld*

- >- "j

.'. . *

- * "■ m . I '

I

1 *95 J ,

LETTER XVIL

To Baron AxEt Lejgnhufwud*

Of the Icelandic Poetry*

Stockholm, Dec. .12, 1 775*

IT. is with the titriioft pleafiire that
I prepare to obey your commands,
in cbmmuriicating to you a fhort ac^
count of the Icelandic poetry ; I only
lament that my knowledge is too li-
mited on a fubje& that is furroiiiided
with fo ihany bbfcurities, and will
therefore not permit me t6 make my
account as perfeft as I could wifli,
and as the importance of. the fubjeft
requires : I regret this inability fo
much the more, as I am to fubmit my
thoughts to th<? eye of fo great a
judge ; but if even my obfervations
ihould not be very important, I (hall
toeverthelefe confole myfelf, as they
will, however, be a proof of my readi*
{iefe to comply with your wiflies.

N a. Though

[ i 9 6 ]

Though the opinion of fome men
of learning, that writing in verfe has
been more early pra&ifed in Europe
than writing in profe, may at firft ap-
pear extraordinary, yet it feems more
probable upon nearer examination.
The poets among the Greeks and
Romans were more antient than their
hiftorians and mod celebrated ora-
tors. The time when profe firft be-
gan to be wrote among thefe nations
maybe afcertained with tolerable accu-
racy ; but it is alraoft impoffible to de-
termine the age of poetry among them,
as it is far more antient than the fiege
of Troy and the Olympic games. In
the fame manner we know th^t the firft
work in profe among the Romans was,
the fpeech of Appius Caegius to the
fenate and Roman people in the 1 25th
Olympiad ; in which he advifes them
to rafufe the conditions of peace of-
fered by Pyrrhus, VHien it is certain
that poetry had been known and culti-
vated among them long before.

This needjiot be wondered at, when
we recolle£l that long before the know-

ledge

t *97 1

ledge of letters could have become ge-
neral in Europe, many adions might,
however, have been thought worthy td
be configned to pofterity. How great
an affiitance muft it have been to the
memory, when the remembrance of
an event, deftined to be refcued from
oblivion, was preferved in words,
compoled according to a certain mea~
fure, where it might be determined,
even by the ear alone, if any word
had been omitted or altered ! The
laws of the antient Germans were
written in verfc, and the ftanzas in
which they were compofed were ge-
nerally fung. The French mQtiarqh,
induced by the favourable reception
given to every poetical work, caviled
the Bible to be tranflated into verfe
in the ninth century: and from the
fame motive Ottfried, a Benedi&ine
monk in Alfatia, tranflated the four
Evangelifts into German verfe about
the fame period.

Thus we fee that poetry is extremely

antient among all nations ; and in

Sweden it may beconiidered as a legacy

N 3 of

[ *9» )
of Odin, who firft brought it thither.
In antient times there was no king or
chief, or any other man of note, that
had not his own fkald or poet, who was
obliged to beprefenton all important
occafions, to remark whatever was
worthy of attention, and to relate it
in fongs. He was prefept at battles
in the Skoldborg, or in the midft of the
braveft warriors, that he might behold
with his own eyes thofe adlions which
were to be recorded : at their banquets
he was obliged to animate the guefts
with Ji^ppy inventions and poetical
encomiums on their deceafed heroes,
Thefe poets were every where held in
high efteem ; they were cbnftantly ad-
mitted to the king's prefence, and fre-
quently were his generals as well aa #
his minifters. They were called Jkaldr^
which Qheyalier Ihre derives from
Jkialy reaibn or prudence, from whence^
the ^expreflijpn of ' Jkiaiaman^ wife men.
They were likewife called fpckingr %
from fpehj wifdpm., from whence the 1
iTngUflai \Vord to Speak, derives its,

origin/ , j ; '\ . ; ' ..

' 1 \r * To

t 199 ]

. To the fongs. of thefe poets we owe
the firft accounts of the Swedifb hi£
tory, and cannot therefore deprive
them of the honour Tacitus beftowsf
on them in calling them Antiquiffi-
mum annalium genus. Oar antient
traditions are likewife filled with thefe
fongs, which we cannot alter or reject
as worthlefs, though they are for the
moft part unintelligible to us. The
caufe of this is, firft, that the Skalds
purpofely compofed their fongs with
fo much art, that they were not
only unintelligible to the vulgar, of
which we find ^examples in Gifla
Sturfonar, . Viga Glums, and Greltis's
£agas ; but they were not even urn
derftood by the greateft poets, of
which Gutter's hiftory gives us a
proof*

Secondly, they were alfo accuflomed
to tranfpofe the order of the words in.
their fongs in fb ftrange a manner, as
neceflarily augmented the obfcurity. I
will only mention one example of this
from Renhjelm, where the words, to
follow in their natural order, ought to

N 4 have

[ 200 ]

have been ranged according to the?
numbers here placed over them ; "'"•

1.289
Hilmir vdtm at hdtmi

5 7 6

Hiatm-fkotb rotbni blothi

'3 14 ' 15 13
Huat ofdiildu thejf hoeldar

4 10 n 12

Hoerd oc aitjlur i goeribotz

18 26 17 19
Rogs bra Recka lacgir

10 22 21

Riikur valkera lijki
23 24 27
Herjlefnir let brofnum
25 26 ' i8 '

Hold fiaerningia goldit*

They had, thirdly, a particular po-
etical language (Skaldskaparmat) 'which
was very copious, but could not be
made ufe of in common life. This
language probably made one of the
principal parts of their learned ftudies
in thole times, as they were not infeii-

fiblft

[ 2<?* I

£ble of its beauty and elegance. Thus
for example, there are upwards oif
fifty fynony ma cff the word lolja>
billow or wave* And Chevalier Ihre
quotes Lopt Guttonjifori's Lyodalykil
(a love-Ibrig) in which there are 147
different appellations, that all ex-
prefs the Wbrd woman. I (hall bor-
row 3 few lines of this poem, which
are mentioned in the Edda among the
Hringaheitiy and that prove how far
thefe poets went 'in their Antono-
mafias,

' Heigni eg hamri fcringdan ,
Hang a riupu tangar
Grymnis fylgs a galga
Gynnung b'ruar }inna.

The natural difpofition of thefe words
is this : Eg hei'ngi hamri kringdan linna
' jgynnurig d hang riupu bruar tangar a
txrymnis, fylgs galga 1 which means, I
Jiang the round beaten gaping fnake
on the end of the bridge of the moun-
tain b^rd, at ' the gallows of Odin's
Shield. To find the fenfe of thefe
words, Mr. Ihre obferves, that by the
fallows of 'Qdin's Shield is meant the

arm,

arm, on which it is ufual to wear the
(hield. By the word ripa is under-*
(lood a falcon, for , a Skald has the
permiflion of putting one genus for
another* The bridge of the falcon is,
the hand, on which the falconer places
him, and its end or tong (tongue) is
the finger* The gaping round beaten
fnake means. a ring; and confequently
this long flory means no more than*
' I put a ring on my finger,
. , Fourthly^ to make themfelves (till
more unintelligible, when too words ha4
the fame found, the $kalds were al-
lowed the liberty of putting the peri-
phrafis of. the one for the other ; for
example, the word ifo/fignifies a horfe*s
hoof or foot ;- but tl^e fame word like T
wife means decency, moderation, un^
cjerftanding ; and to exprefs this the
horfe's hoof was frequently made ufe
of. But the principal difficulty in the
explanation of this antient poetry pro-
ceeds from the extreme incorre&nefs
of the manufcripts of our Sagas, par-
ticularly x>f the poetry, which cannot
be read correctly without great atten-
tion* Thefe ; aye the caufes why the,

greater.

[ 305 }

greater part of the verfes in their Sagas^
JnibHfhed either in Iceland itfelf or iti
Sweden, cannot be underftood ; only
very few are capable of comprehend-
ing them ; that it is however poffiblej
is proved by the neyp editions of Krifl>
his Saga, Landnamabok, and fevera^
others. The provoft Gunnar Paulferi*
in Iceland, is particularly diftinguifhecj
for his great knowledge in this branch
of literature, ' \ % '

The difficulties \ve meet with in af-
certainiqg the true fenfe of thefe ar^
tient poems, is likewife the caufe of
the contempt with which we confider
thefe few remains of the genius of the
antients. I will- readily acknowledge
ihey have ho poem that can be pro-
pofed as a pattern of wit ancf elegance;
yet it cannot be denied, but that very
fublime thoughts and expreffions, and
fometimes very beautiful comparifons,
are to be met with in them : and it is
impoffible to read the dying Lod-
book's Biarkamal, Eigils, Hofud',
tiaufn, and, I^vindrs Haconarraa,
without pleasure, befidcs feveral
others. •" "

They

[ *°4 3

They chpfe for the fubjeft of their
poetry whatever happened in common
life ; however they principally occu-
pied themfelves in compofing fongs
in praife of the actions of their great
pen ; in which they are accufed of
not being over fcrupulous in beftow-
ing their flatteries. We have feveral
poems exifting on various fubjecls,
among them there is a tolerable epic
one on Charles and Grim, befides
another on Hialmar. They have like-
yyife fome fatirical pieces, which they
ufed to call nidvifor, and the under-
taking of the author was Jiamed
yrkia nid ; but there are no traces of
their having had the lead idea of the-
atrical performances.

From what has been faid, it may
be imagined that there is no language
that ailows a poet fo much liberty
as the Icelandic ; and indeed there is
no language to rich in poetical ex-
preffions as this : it mud not however
be thought that it is confined by
certain rules : on the contrary, I be-
tteve there is ho pro(bdy fo copious
as die Icelandic, as, according to

the

C 205 ]

the Edda, they had no lefs than i$6
different forts of verifications (in Ice-
landic hatturj each of which had its
particular rules. However it will be
extremely difficult, nay almoft im-
poffible, to fay any thing certain on
this fubjeft, before we have a true
explanation of that part which treats
of it in the third volume of the Edda.

The Edda is one of the mod cele-
brated remains of antiquity, and yet
it has hitherto been very imperfe&ly
known. It has generally been con-
fidered as the mythology of the an-
tients, and the Volufpa and Havamal
have been forced upon it, as two of
its volumes, though they do not in
the lead belong to it. But Cheva-
lier Hire has thrown more lig;ht on
this affair: in his printed letter to
Mr. Lagerbring, he hag attentively
examined the nianufoript of the
Edda, in the library at Upfal,. and
clearly proves that it is nothing
more than an introduction to* Ice-
landic poetry, confifting of three
parts ; the firft, daemifagor, is an ex-
tract from the Hiftoria mythica vetb-

rum:

1 '^oA ]

ttim > the fecond, kenningar^ is a mere
iErarium poeticum ; and the third;
Hods greiner, tontains the Icelandic
; profody, K &c. &c. The fo-called
'dtmifngprtie, are for the moil part
translated into the Swedifli language
by Goraiifon, but the tranflatiori U
Very incorredte* Refenius has likewife
pubMied them together with the Ken-
mngarriv in Latin. But the third part;
bhatf'deferves no lefs attention; has not
yet appeared in print; and it is much,
-to fee tviftied that Chevalier Ihfre would
give it to the' public, as there are lb
few befides himffclf capable of doing it

The various cbhje&ure§ that have
been formed concerning the true
author of the Edda, hkve been no

• fefi erfconebtis than thofe relating to
jh&-fubje<ft of the book itfelf. It has

"♦generally -been thotight that Samundr

* Stgfufon* who died in ii : 33, wrote
"a very ample ivork, intituled, The

£dda> which treated ^of many im-
portant fubjerts, and was in a man-
lier a magazine pf all human khovy-
- ledge ; of thiis howeter fcar-ce <m6
;^ 3 third

t .a.07 ]

t\iitd has ever bacn preferred, ;an<l

tranfmitted to us in the prefent, Edda*

tBat Chevalier Ihre aflerts, that the

4 £dda we are mow in pofleffion of, has

not been; extracted from any one rpore

.antient, but that is was originally com-

pofed by Shorre Sturlefi>»*

;. The difficulties and 1 obgsftfotfs thfct

'have beeri; made againft this opinion

by ' the; ieariidd Arnas Magn'aus, and

.afterwards by profeflor Schlofern, caji

'cafily he .removed ; forwoft prqb^b^y

r Stuxiefon Y Edda has been , €Qiitifttt$d

•lory the monk Gunlaug, ^s Bjottnrftf

nSkardfaa; fhppofes, or rathdr by P&fr

f JSvitafkald. . It is therefore not foppft?-

ing, that fomething Ln prfrife of Stftfjfce-

' ion ftibuld . be inferted ; . .afld it : m$y

: eaffily be explained front hen.ee> why

the author ; called Wakteeiar*. Wftg;9f

Denmark* his marten - •.'?.,;■ • -.

4 . It is dilficult to decerjttitne the ; t$ye

nature of the antient Icelandic ]pft£j:ry j

however, to give you fome idea of it,

I wilhiay fomei:hUigo£^;YOyi|$cation

mod frequently i*f$<J smoag them*

.■ ' - « ,....;■ and

t 208 )

iifid which was called drottquade (£irig*£
fong).

It was divided into ftanzas, each
of which confided of fofcr couplets,
and each of thefe couplets Was again
compofed of two hemiftichs; each
hemiftich contained fix fyllables : ndr
Ivsts it allowed to augment this num-
ber, except in cafes of the greateft
rieceflity* Thefe fyllables tonfift of
three or fotir feet* according to the 5
different forts of verfiiication* and
(bnletimes of more* in proportion to
the fhortrtefs of the fyllables. Befides
this, the Icelandic poetry requires two
other things, viz. words .with the
fame initial letters, and words of the
fame found. This ado nance is called
hending> and is either more or lefi;
in the firft cafe it is called adalhending*
and in the fecond, jkottbending. This
you may clearly fee by {he following
example:

Auftur lopdum for urtdartii
Alvaldttr fa *r gaf fealdufcv
Hann feck gagn at gunne f
Cunntror da flog morguin*

Slydur

r

C ^09 ]

Slydurtungur let flmgra
Sverd leiks reigenn ferdar,
Sende grammur ad grundu
; Gujlvarpatki faarpann-

Here it muft firft be obferved, that
there is in every . couplet a fyllable
that governs the whole, verfe, rader
ffifciiinnf, which is almoft ahyays the
iifft. word in the lecond hemiftich ;
arid two words in the firft hemiftich
muft begin with the ; fame, letter, if i&
is a confonaint; but when it is, a vowel,
one vowel may be put for another,.
Thus, for example, in the above ftanza
the following words are thole that go-
yerh each verfe, confiding of two lines
or . hemifticHs, radar quedandi: in the
firft "verfe, the word alvadur, becaqfe it
begins with a vowel, has, in the firft
heniifticli of this verfe, th<? words aujiur\
and uriddnny in the feconcf verfe gunbor~[
da, you find gagn and gurine in its
firft half; . in the third verfe foerd,

Whehfce in the firft'heipiftich^^r^^^
gut imdffingra; in the fourth verfe,
gultvarpatbi,\which requires grammur

•' :: -'\ y; " \ ' V P , : and

! *u u ,. :.- . - -- *

and grunfa itt its fiftf trdlf. ; Secondly,
one findfs in Ae fJrftilemiftich of each

>

verfe &Jkotthe'Hdiyig,\' or' two, words,
which haVe dqtral ~ fcorifonants* with
unequal vowels, fuch.as are in the
firft Vtffjfe; 'londiim, unaann'; in the! fe-
cund' #*//*#,' guhny in the'diird!*^^^
thngUY, ' Jlingrd ; and !ih/ the T^rdiJ,"
/cW£ zrufidu. But in 'the. fHcondtxer
lftifHch'df each verfe is an addfnchdingS
where two "words have both equajcdri-
fbnants and vowels, in *tKe above- men-
tloried ftariza: words of/tnts'kin^ are
ih the firft verfe alvdld) \ jfkaf durum ; in
the' tecond verfe gunWrda, 'rnofgufo ; In
the thir<d verfe y^/V£j^r^
foiffltr verfe gullvdrfdihi x Jkd'rpahny
confequehtly in \ z % ftknia r ^iha&

chMging one word for anotlierl * ok

allb*na"n<}ie*&,' pr '%endingafs^ are jjenV

of dacfrlftie :' fdmetimes however the
cfae aflbnant worcl is placed in the

.middle

Middle of the linte, as in the inftance
bf the weird Uhdum, m the firft hemiC-
tich df the firft verfe;

This confonance of founds muft be
Confidered a* the nedeflary ornament
of 4 regular verfe by the antient
Skalds i the greater this uniformity is,
the more the verfe approaches to per-
fection ; it likewife ferves them as a
guide in fitigitig their veti<3*» We
alfo find fomething of this fort in the
Ikatin poets* Virgil fays*

— Kates cafus Cdfaftdra^afiiebat*

Aiid Another poet)

Dum dubkat <i*ttfrA maf^pi faceretve

puetlam,
Nat^s 0s o pvMrti? paene^udtta guer.

This has likewife keen remarked by
Bfixhopn, wtvj at tfoz fame tim§ ipioves
fttrtft Girlldus Catfibreoffe, that this
Wa4 alto cttftetaiay '-amgbg «h« aWa<mt
CIsftHbriartS, 4ri& in iEnglaad : fd tfeit
AS-teeMs to have been the Opiftioft of
jmoft nations, that the ^Isgapce of
O 2 poetry

C *** 1

poetry required this harmony of*
lbundd. For this reafon the Cambria
ans fay,

Digawn Duvv da y unie
Wrth bob dybwylh paraWd*

And the Englifh,

God is together glmman and wifc
dome.

David Rhaefus confirms this in his
GranimaticaCambro-Britannica, print-
ed in folio, London 1592 ; arid quotes
feveral paflages from their veriest which
have a great deal of refemblance with
the heridingar of the. Icelander's. .

I know not whether the agreement

of the initial letters* fcij/tomary irjt.the

poetry of the Finlariders, might not

. likeWife be mentioned here, is a; proof

: of the fame cuftom beings obfetrved

z there as in Iceland : I, will therefore

niofert a paflage from C^lamnii's Con-

: \gcatxjlation to the late king Adolphms

\ Frederic, on his undertaking a voyage

%■:;• 1- ~ Kofta,

[ an ]

Kofta kulki kuningamme
Adolph Ferdrie armolinen *
Meidan maalla matkufteli,
. JCaicki vereni venahti,
Kaicki liikathti lihani,
Ettae virteni viritin,
Kannoin minun kandeleni,
Ifeen iftuimen etehen,
Katckivellen kamarihin :
Iofta anoin andimia.

But this carries me too far from my
fiibje&. Though we do not find any
rhymes in our moft antient poetry, it
may, however, be faid with certainty
that they are older than the introduc-
tion of the Chriftian religion. Skule
Ejnarfbn is therefore wrongfully ac-
cufed of having introduced the ufe of
rhymes, that is now become fo ge-
neral ; for except England, which has
preferved its Wank verfe, no nation in
Europe is pleafed with verfes that do
not rhyme. The art of rhyming,
that is by no means eflential to po-
etry, and ftill lefs ufeful, as it. only
ferves to make it more difficult, was
borrowed, it is not improbable, from

O 3 the

[ *t 4 )
the antient northern ikalds, ami has,
now fpread itfelf beyond Europe ; fo ;
that rhyming is become as univerfal
as tlje complaint, that the number of
verfifiers increafes in the fame propor-
tion as the number of poets decreafes*
Baretti relates, that he heard a Mo-
fambique fong in ^hypifc from fome
negroes at Madrid* Gage fays the
fame of the Mexicans ; *nd Niebuhr
mentions ^hat the Arabs are great;
rhymers*

To conclude, I Here pi*efertt ydiif
with a fpecimen of an Icelandic poerh
that Rugraan compofed on the death
of count Magnus dp la Gardtes, It
was jirinted at Upfal ; but is becdttibf
fo fcarce, that I doubt whether amy
perfon in Sweden has a printed copy of
if ; it may at the fame time ftrVe to;
(hew the nature of a tlrvttquadv, as thfe
author has qhferved aim oft all thq
rules that conftitute one r' /

Aut er i feggia faeti t :
Saknar maims i rahhi

G«^

i us J

Gre* ylgur Ragnvald ryttd
Rom-ftamir hauJkar framaft
Kund Lodbrokar y kiendo
Kuillinda valir illra : ". '.
Kuoldrido klarar fareldoft
Kueid ari mar faft reidar
Tijd fiello tar af gk>di
Tafnlaufir i&pco hrafnac

Thuarr og vid theingils daud*
Tfaydur morg brad, i hijdi
Skreidaft thuiherfi fktedur
Skiott marti grids of ritta :
Ox odum falu faxa _
Frar miog or leiptri tara v
Huarroa bsekur ad hrockin
Hraut graft a bamdar iiautL

Gretco flrialaus agi^tann
Gripdijr heLdiagia fuipula
Verdar of J&do fordom
Fldnifyings ^llvakran feingia
Og i oglodum iiuga >
Undo ficr menu og hrundir
Seims kuadb mundar fcraa
Sicmrhuor huit malar dmerri,

Q 4 Jfejdiiv*

£T

Heidingiar ef fiia'fcedins
Harmadu kuanar barma
Stalir fier giordi ftala
Stijrir og Eida hiruft :
Thars i malmgufti giera
Grad thuarr og vod til brada
Varga kna vund oborgid
Vas, thaut rafn i ail.

Hvad baeri ofs er erum
Urdarbrunns tha alkunnir
Sira. Jofurs thefs fara
Sueita dagliga neitum ?
Og i hans erum faugru
Orda vidkuasdi vordnir
Uppfraeddir ad vier hrcppa
Aftundum gledi hda, ?

Baeri ofs ey bllugum vera
Breifkleika holdfins veikan
Tijtt fyri fionir fettia
Syrid fly a, dygd i nijaft ?
Hel med thui hroka ftoli
Hreikir. fier a faul bleikum
Akuedr ymfra thioda
Andlat med quifti handar.

Hel

[ 2*7 T

He! vaegir hauldum eigi
Hrijfur or theflb lijfi
Kejfara, Klerk og Rafir
Karlmeniko fulla Jarla :
Altignum amint fagnar ,
Qg kot-af-ropa throti
Kurteifa kappa herfa
Kielling leggur ad velii.

Daemi framm daglig koma
Drijir hel verk at nijo
Audlinga aburt leidir
Ofs dauggvar tara foffi 2
Mannlunga tnaetfta fangar
Med fier hertekna hiedan
Fserir og furdum ftorum
Fiaurleftir meingid beft<u

Sidpridi, fgmd og heidur,
Somligur dygdiar blomi, t
Mangixfka, vinfel minning,
Meterda fremd ofgietin,
Frijdleikur, fegurd, audur,
Fraekn, aft, og hyller difto , .
Hel med fier dregur i duaJa ,
Deyr tho gott manno^d eije*

Einn

Einn nu af sefi battni
Afgieck raud moens breeku
Maetur altygin ytum
£E tregandi lfcgir :
Kurreis, vis, kiaenn, til urta
Kinrftor lof dunga vinur
Haborin Jarl og Herra
Haujcftandar malar grandi*

Pyr Magnus TJcIagardi
JOygcJhir Odains bygde
Akurs vift af var rekin j
J£r nara nift illfklptin :
Mord hauxa Fall harts fasrdi
Jridoftum breckq hlijda
SJorg flora fuaogmorgtfm
Slagdir lax hf undum fade.

Thar fie ofs tho id eyrf*
Thad hann i gudi gladur
Als tracd holds goto greida
Grand fyrtift vondra andaj
Hirdur i Gimlis gardi
Glatt fingur og famklingk
Utvauldum Elngfe fueitum
Endalauft lof mink Tauftcu

XPITAFHKUM*

C a?* 3

fPITAPfilUM.

COrtditnr hoe tumulo juvenili mor*
tuus aevo
Magnus, de Magna frardia gente
fatus*
In ifjiiftos cahus dignus qui viveret
apnos,
Hei mihi! quod juyenis concidit
ante diem.
Hujus enim ingenium cepit won terra*
Quid inde ?
Toilite Caslicelasi reddite Oiicola%
pic tumulum fpe&ans oculo proper
rame viator?
$tagn<i> Tuo Ctaeri fit pia terra levfe*

v» . . ' •

faripfit Upfaliac aim* if 6?,
* 4& *4 F&riiarii.

JONAS RUGMAtf,

-j:i\::<.

LETTER

• [ ; aao 3

LETTER XVIII.
To Profeflor B^rgmann.
. .-Of, the Vol cams in Ic eland. %

Stockholm, -Sept. i, 1775.

HAVING received the colie&ion I
made in Iceland of the fpecimens
of the different fubftances of which
their volcanos are coiiipofed, I take the
liberty of fending it to you ; adding
at the fame time a fliort account of'thefe
burning mountains, which is in pare
extracted from Icelandic writings, and
partly founded on what I heard from
the natives, as well as from my own
obfervations ; and which Ido not think
unworthy of your clofer examination.
Indee4 it is - much to be lajnented,
that fince of late ftifth cape and appli-
cation have been bellowed on the ftudy
of natural hiftory, fo little attention
has been paid to the operations of
Nature in this remarkable ifland ; fpr
Ji "A '.{ r - hitherto

hitherto a very fiaall joumber ofjthe
many <voloarios aroyet' fuflly known ;
but thai: \%c {hould bonaore; ignorant in.
regard to the WQndeiful: hot fpodting
fountains with which t the country
abounds, is very extraordinary ; • not
to mention many other uncommon
appearances in Nature; > » -

My time and .attention Hare beeii
too iliuch .confined ;and taken up to
•give you <£* : complete i;an\ account of
she curipfities of Iceland , as they vde-
ferYe ; but M flatter, myfelf hotwisfir
-ftanding* ihat;you wilt giveafavnui>
ifilble reception. to the few observations
I (ball make, l though they Should not
be fo important* as, might be. expelled;
We maylbftpe to fee this fubjeft treat-
ed ; upon ; nfeore . at large, , when : y riu
have time and opportunity to. com-
pare the effe&s of firfc in Ioelarid,
with fimilar ones in othrc psamlofihe
worldv. •; < , • :;• I , >.l; -A.

: I. will not • venture to determine
;how far. the opinion' of ionje .maft
-of learning is founded .09 ;tjruth,
4 that all ^mountains have takdn thriir
-rife pshct, ih>n> fire or water ._ How
f : 2 probable

t 2* 2 1

probable foever this opinion may ap^
pear, of which we can find no traces
in the moft remote times, / and the
mpft antient authors ; yet it would bci
very difficulty nay* aloioft iropoffible^
to eftablifh it by experience i but be
this as it may* I will venture to pro*
n ounce, that Iceland has bean formed
by eruptions of ike. . • . •
, . It is no uncommon event for iflands
to be produced .in this -> radnner ; we
-have many; examples of it; but the
iize and extent of Iceland, in contpa*
rifon to other Elands, which owe their
origin to the fame caufe, may raife
fome doi&ts -again ft the. inception of
this hypothefis. Nor can it be denied,
but. this* as -well as fevercll forts of
iione that are to- be ■ found i there, and
-which do not be«r t an^<diftin& marks
-of the effe&s of ftffc, • are likewiijb
calculated to torffirm chefe doubts.
Again, I fee nothing to hinder ure
from considering Iceland as produced
&y fire, Wheto I 'rdfled that the ground
ill ail part 4 > of the ifland> and par-
ticularly near the fea fliow?, icoafiflr^of
Java or tOfa, which is fi^equenitly- jco-
! 3 vered

vetted with other forte df ftones, as: at
Lund®, ahdaven wi& a hard land of
nKrartfafaie {fax&mi)< or 'with ftveril
ftrataof different kSfccteiioF *arth and
ftone, «4 at Laugaf lias, • ■ Where ; site
kva is fcnakeen Feet irt depihj whefi
I fiiid toefideu, :.tbafc dwferoeks, which
h*ve Bo'&aedsof fire, are&Mitf|KMM$ri«l
<*f f«nd nrixed (With iihall jffiett*e-eF
fpar, that' biay eafiiy be produ^di
in two dr three tfrouDaid yeaW,i fMce
ohc lalra !hai \ hade . tibe foundatio« ? I
?uii ftitl more iacltnexfl*' od <fopport cfcia

Oj^liaiob.t- . l.' : ■:''/ .••!'-■•:; I. --:; •;»;_;

v I Jam fttJc4*wfrtteer>fcl MebiAbtiiSi
eo believe, i*hat Bht^-Whto^ iflsind >W&
pxodureqd sto oncte -tyrftfe<< biift 5 ratte
oowi$e&ufe«*nat it '4ia¥-taifi : 4:&e>#o]$
«sf ferine «entdi*ie$| &? ^ifevdral c13&
and raafrsrfeeitig* p*tf dfcc& fit' differfelk
tidies? whofe -pmm 1$ve ti£e'&> i tt>)&
neVftdd byii*^e^f»i&si^nd>WBHtf
h*vcP$xmG&< rive <ban#4f ? «:W»fli£

HlandL': J.-jcI .' 'jiriuqtjiu! •J;;::! :/;it Tic

t :*> ijtjwry dtffi(»ltf%*«ele¥lnftfe7
whethee^ttis •&$><fc8fl<HP* a 3 WfWkBi
foundation or not ^to^cr^'F^ini
arfrielf authorized to believe it, as well

from

[ 2»4 ]

from the artihed> figure into .which the
ftreams of Idva bave generally formed
therafelves, as, from the .probable-con-
tte&tons of the &a and the V.oleanos
there.; I likewifc believe, that from
herice |t!may. be beft explained, why
federal ifland?: hate been iwiallawed up
mgceat earthquakes, asabuiUing ma/
tbooer [heldeftro^edby tearing: away
f&6:£iUaj{s e& which it refts,. '•:■
sjiAvvsigp further back with regard
lo the ferupeiotiiof fie in Icdand, than,
thft common tradition amoogrthe vul-
gar people there, who believe, that the
firft inhabitants; of ,tbe <x?Motry,i whom
they «fuppp(ej . #».vhave be&i Chriftians
m$. Jri{hni£n,^Fj£) fo much fcppreflcd
by r ,the Norwegian Colon ifts, •> that Hhey
Yve^e, fprc.ee} to leave the country, to
wh|c^ ; :they : .firjft:.fet . fire >: to> revenge
theinfelves. ._ We cannot however de-
term^e,; tUl : aj&er, the arrival of the
Norwegians, Jiqw. often tlje eruptions
of fire have happened. But thfe na-
tion . has. preserved \\ with/- great: care
whatever concerned their #&ce ~.tif re*
f^nce or, habitation* , : , ; , -r.ir' ■

i 225 ]

The firft eruption of fire mentioned
by the antient records, is the lldbor-
gar hrautiy immediately after the ar-
rival of the Norwegians on the weft
fide of the ifland, in the ninth cen-
tury. But it is not remarked as any
thing extraordinary, only that the fire
broke out near a farm belonging to
Thore ; and a ftretch of lava, or a
braun> of three miles in length, and
two and a half in breadth, remains to
this day as a monument of it* After
this there are no eruptions mentioned
till the year 1000, when the Chriftian
religion was introduced there. At a
time when the chiefs of the country
were aflembled to confult about the
reception of the Chriftian religion, in-
formation was brought that fire was
thrown out at Plow. The Heathens
confidered this as a proof of the wrath
of their gods, on which account they
were refblved to refufe the new reli-
gion ; but this refolution was over-
ruled by Snorre Gode's afking them,
€€ On whom did the gods difplay
" their wrath, when thofe rocks on
" which we now ftand were on fire?"

P ' The

[ 226 ]

The Icelandic Chronicles mention
many inftances of fiery eruptions ob-
ferved in different places during the
fpace of 800 years * ; it is therefore
difficult to conceive how Horrebow,
who has been in the country himfelf,
could affirm, that fire emitted only
from them very rarely, and in few-
places.

To be fenfible of the dreadful effefts
of fire, the country itfelf need only be
confidered. The mountains are almofl
entirely compofed of lava and tufa,
and the plains are crufted over with
brauuy or trails of lava, which are,
however, in many places covered with
earth or turf. The accounts we have
of certain eruptions, of fire, alfo in-
form us, that they have always laid
wade large tra&s of land, either more
or left,

I will not in this place mention the
damages done to the inhabitants by
the allies thrown from the volcauos,

* The Chronicles give a lift of fixty-thrce erOptjon«
atHeckla and other places, from the year 1000 to 1 766 ;
of which twenty-three were eruptions of Mount Heckla
only. v ...

which

[ 2*7 3

which frequently covered the fields for
a fpace of twenty or thirty miles in
lengthy and half a yard in depth, by
Which the cattle differed very much,
as it caufed them to lofe their teeth,
. and frequently to drop down dead for
want of food;: and when they have
been killed, pumice has ibmetimes
been found in their liver and bowels*
I will only name fome of the places/
iituate neareft to the volcanos, that
have been utterly deftroyed by their
cffe&s; This has been partly done by
violent earthquakes, that generally
preceded the eruption ; and partly by
inundations of water from the ice
melted by the fire ; and laftly, by the
quantity of gldwing aflies and ftones
thrown from the mouths of the volcd*
nos* and the ftiteams of burning mat-
ter which flowed down on all fides;

In 1 311 eleven farms were confiimed
near Roidekamb* and; as many more
near Tolledyngr ; and in 1 366 fevehty
at Lillehered; Heckla deftroyed two
in 1374; feyenin 1390; aitd eighteeii
in one day in 1436. In the fame man-
ner five, farms were laid wafte near
P 2 Myrdals

[ "8 ]

Myrdals Jokul in 1660, and ftill more
in 1 69 3 near Heckla. In 1 727, at Ieaft
600 fticep and 150 horfes were killed
near Myrdals Jokui, by the flood and
the pieces of ice that rufhed down with
it. In 1728 many farms were de-
ftroyed near Krafle, and a large lake
called M yvatn, was entirely dried up,
into which the ftreams of fire that
rolled from the mountains flowed
during fome years, and formed a traft
of lava of four miles in length, and
one and a half in breadth. In 1755
Kattlegiaa laid wafte fix parifhes ; and
in the fame year the laft eruption of
Heckla ravaged a traft many miles to
thenorth-eaft.

It is not therefore to be doubted, but
that the fire rages here with as much,
and perhaps more violence than Vefu-
vius, iEtna, and other volcanos ; not-
withftanding which, I fee no foundation
for the opinion of fbme people, who •
affirm that there is a communication
between the volcanos of Iceland and
Italy ; it might be maintained with as
much foundation that Kattlegiaa and

TenerifF,

C 229 ]

Teneriff, or Krafle and Lima, have
communication together.

But before I quit this fubjeft I will

mention a circumftance that is related

both by Eggert Olafsen and Jacobfen.

The laft time that Kattlegiaa vomited

fire, a flafh of lightning, as it were, burft

from the flame, and pierced through

the cliffs that intercepted its way. The

fame lightning in one place killed

eleven horfes, three of which were in a

ftable ; a farmer was alfb killed by it

near the door of his room.; his upper

cloaths, which were woollen, remained

-entirely untouched, but his fhirt and

waiftcoat, both of linen, were burnt;

and when his cloaths were pulled off,

it was found that the flefh and fkin on

the right fide were confumed to the very

bones. The maid-fervant, who wanted

to aflift him in faving the cattle, was

like wife ftruck by the lightning, but

did not die till feveral days after, dur^

ing which time (he fuffered inexpref-

fible torture. It is likewife faid, that

when (he put on her cloaths, they were

finged by the glutinous fires that

cleaved to her body. At firft I hefi*-

P 3 tated

I 23a ]

fated to receive this as true ; but when
I read in y T our Cofinography, that
Braccini had obferved in 1631, a
column of finoak from Vefuvius to
extend over feveral miles of the coun-
try, from which deadly lightning
proceeded ; and that the fame hap-?
pened in 1767, when the iron rods
erected in Naples became ele&ric
whenever Vefuvius emitted fire ; J
am the more inclined to bejiey? that
there is fomething eleftricai ip this
kind of fire, as the fame phenojnjen*
appear in thunder and lightning*

LETTER

I 231 ]

LETTER XIX.

To ProfefTor Bergman.

Of the Volcanos in Iceland,

Stockholm, Sept. 7, 1773*

IT* (barcely excr happens that the
mountains, bfegin to throw out fire
unexpeftectty ; foy belides a loud rum*
bling noife that is heard at a cons-
iderable diftaruce, and for feveral days
pnec^didg any eruption * r arid a roar-
ing and cracking in the part from
\frhence the fire: is going to burft forth ;
m£ny fiery meteors are obferved, but
unattended in general with any vio*
lent conculHon of the earth ; though
fortunes earthquakes, of which the
hiftory ! >of . the coiintry affords, feveral
infta&sBs; halve, accompanied' thefe
drwdfuL coiifla^ratioits.

Among the. traces left by thefe
e»Hptipns, are particularly the clefts
ir^quportly tk> be, met with, the largeft
of which is Alroennegiaa, near the
ltt*tQtf:%>f Tingalla; it is very long,
P 4 and

[ 232 ]

and 105 feet in breadth. The direc-
tion of the chafm itfelf is from north
to fouth : its weftern wall, from which
the other has been perpendicularly
divided, is 107 feet 6 inches in height,
and confifts of many fhrata (each of
which is about ten inches thick) of
lava, grown cold at different times, as
may eafily be difcovered by the ap-
parent cruft, that is full of blifters of
a more dark brown, and not fb much
comprefled as the reft of the mafs of
lava. The eaftern wall is only forty-
five feet four inches in height ; and
that part of it which is dire&ly opposite
to the higheft part on the other fide, is
no more than thirty-fix feet five inches
high.

It is likewife confidered as a fign of
an impending eruption, when ftnall
lakes, rivulets, and dreams dry up.
Some perfons believe, that it d6e&m>t
contribute a little to haft en the erupr
tion, when the mountain is fo covered
with ice, that the holes are flopped up
through which the exhalations, ,&c.

often found a free pafTage.

Thofcgh

I 233 ]

Though it is by no means my opi-
nion that this contributes much to it,
it cannot be denied, that the fire is
generally contained in thefe mountains
covered with ice, or, as they are called
in the country, 'jokuls.

The firft thing that is ufually ob-'
ferved, before a frefh eruption of fire,
is the burfting of the mafs of ice with
a dreadful noife, whence it is called in
Icelandic Jokla-hloid (jokuPs Sound)
and Jokla breftar.

The flames then burft forth, and
lightning and balls of fire iflue with the
fmoak, which are feen feveral miles.
With the flames a number of large and
left (tones are fometimes thrown to an
incredible diftance. I have £ecn a
round ftone near Nafverholt, about a
mile from • Heckla, that was an ell in
diameter, and had been thrown there
in the laft eruption of Heckla. Eggert
Olafsen alio relates, that at the . laft
eruption of Kattlegiaa, a flone which
weighed 290 pounds wasthrofrn.to the
diftance of four miles.

A quantity of white pumice-ftone
is alfo thrown up with the boiling wa-
ters ;

(

[ «4 3

ters"; and it is belived, with great pro-
bability, that the latter proceeds from
jphe fea, as a quantity of fait fufficient
to load feveral horfes has frequently
been found after the mountain hajs
difcontinued burning.

. Then follows generally brown or
black pumice-flone, ?ind lava, with
fand and afhes.

The Java is feldom found near the
ppening, but rather tuff, or loofe aflies
and grit ; and indeed the greater part
pf the Icelandic mountains cpnfifts of
this matter, which, when it is growp
CpW* generally takes aq arched form,
fome adn^if able proof of this may be
ieen in the cleft at Alhnptnegiaa : the
upper cruft frequently grows cold an$
|biid, whilft theltnclted flatter beneath
it continue^ liquid; ^hw forms great
,cay^ips* t \yho^ walls, bed, and roof
jare q£ lava, ^ajnd inhere gi^f^ qaant^ies
.#£ ftala&ites <?f lava are fcnpd.
^' -There, are. a great t nupi^er ,pf thefjp
# caves in Icd^fid, fame q£ wfrfch ajce
Very large, and are m^de;ufe of by tfoe
Inhabitants for ^ ^lt^ingft^ie^ c?ttle.

. . ;N ;:•:••/ i :: •*'; V-' i' I Will

I *3S 1

I will here only take notice of the cave
pf 8ur*helHr, as the largeft of all : it is
between 34 and 36 feet in height j its
breadth is from 50 to 54 feet, and it;
is 5034 feet long.

It would be both tedious and diffi-
cult tp clafs the different comppfitjtpns
pf fire in thefe places, as it is not
eafily difcoveped to which they belong:
for q^ajpple, jafjper, of which great
quantities of red and black are found
incjofed in the lava, and mixed with
•|jt j I jvjH therefore only name thofe
that have been evidently produced by
the fjre* Firftf tuff> a ftpne of ferrumi-
ttated afhes and grit, which fotnetimeg
|s found mixed with lava, bafak* apd
pther forts of ftqne?, and having bee&
moiftened by the fpoutwg of Watery
grows hard by heat and length of time.
Secondly, Jpva, is that kind of ftp»$
fh# b^s be^n melted by the viplence
pf the fife, a^id varieg according to
jhe dtfferpiwe, pf the ftfttein whiqh it
^er ved $s Ibpd to the fife* ' This lata is
(bmetipes found fpli&aml at othef times

jh>*pvi$ a»d fttftpf Waders and hok^J

» - •

1 236 ]

in the inlide it is filled up with opaque
and brittle fquare cryftals of a dead
white, or with green drops of glafs,
that decay after they have been long
expofed to the air. The colour of
the lava is black, dark blue, purple,
reddifli brown, or yellowifli, but
ofteneft black or red* Where the
fire has operated very ftrongly, it is,
as it were, glazed, and looks like
refin. In the ftreams or great trails
of lava it is fbmetimes obferved, that
the craft in growing cold has fet itfelf
into folds ; but generally it forms a
refemblance of a rope or cable, fome-
times lengthways, and at other times
in thfe form of a circle, like unto
a great coiled cable, and generally
in fuch a manner that its thicknels
-continually augments from the centre
tb the periphery. To this clals I mud
alfb place a black folid matter, that
<ftrikes fire with fteel, and fometimes
rakes the forms of trees or branches ;
and fome people have been inclined
to -: think they are petrified trees, but
J ahi rather of opinion that it is a real

jafper.

t 237 r

jafper. Thirdly, purtiice, black, red,
and even white, which laft has mod
probably been difcoloured by the boil-
ing water. Fourthly, agate ; I pre-
ferve the received name, though it is
really nothing more than burned
glafs. In foine few places it is found
white, tranfparent, and almoft in the
form of cryftal. The bluifli fort is
alio rare, but is found in large pieces:
the moft common is the black agate,
that is found generally in ftrata, or
in fmail nodules, and fometimes almoft
in the fliape of cryftal, in oval, fquare,
or pentagonal forms* The aftronomer,
Mr. Ejnar Jonflen, has made ule of
this black glafs in his tubes, both in
Copenhagen and Iceland, for his ob-
fervation of the fun, and has found
them greatly preferable to the dark-
ened glafs. The green agate is found
rather coarfe and more reddilh, like
thick bottle glafs : it is called kraftin*
nubroder.

Brimftone, which may be confidered
as the proper fuel of the fire, is found
in great abundance, pure and mine-
ralized :

[ *3* 3
jralized : in the north, principally at
Hufewick, and in the fouth at Krufe-
wick, there are brimftone mines that
they call Namas. I (hall referve the!
bafalts for a particular letter*

LETTER

t 239 1
L KT T. E R XX:

To Profeflbr Bergman:
Of Mount Heckla.

Stockholm, Sept. 7, 1773.

THE caufe of Heckla (or, as it is
called in the country, Hecklur
fiall) having been more noticed than
many other volcanos of as great ex-
tent, and no lefs wonderful and in-
ftrudiive, may partly be afcribed to its
having vomited fire fo frequently, and
partly to its fituation, which expofes it
to the fight of all the (hips failing to
Greenland and North America : as we
confidered it with greater attention
than any other volcano on the ifland, I
will give you a defcription of the ftate
in which we found it on the 24th of
September 1772.

After we had feen many tra£t& of

lava, among which Garde and Hva~

leyre Hcaim were .the moft confider-

3 . »ble>

able, we purfued our journey to the
foot of the mountain. We had a tent
pitched here, where we propofed to
pafs the night, to enable us to. afcend
the mountain with greater {pirits in the
morning. The weather was extremely
favourable, and we had the fatisfa&ion
of feeing whatever we wiflied, the
erti prion only excepted.

The mountain is fituated in the
(buthern part of the ifland, about four
miles from the fea-coaft, and is divid-
ed into three points at the top, the high-
eft of which is that in the middle, and
is, according to an exad: obfervation
with Ram fden's barometer, fomewhat
above 5000 feet higher than the fea.
We made ufe of our horfes, but were
obliged to quit them at the firft open-
ing from which the fire had burft. This
was a place furrounded with lofty
glazed walls, and filled with' high
glazed cliffs, which I cannot compare
with any thing I ever faw before.

A little higher up we found a great

quantity of grit and {tones, and ftill

farther on anothej* opening, which*

though not deep/ however defcended

2 lower

t *4* ]

lmver down than that of the higheft
point. We thought we plainly olv
ferved evident marks ef hot boiling
water in this place*

Not far from thence the mountains
began to be covered with (how*- fome
imall fpots excepted, which were bare*
We could not at firit difcern the caule
of this difference, but fbon (bund
that it proceeded from the vapours
arifing from the mountain. As we
afcended higher, thefe (pots became*
larger ; and about two hundred yards
from the fummit We found a hole of
about one yard and a half in diameter,
from which fo hot a (team exhaled*
that it prevented us from afcertain-
ing the degree of heat with the ther-
mometer.

The cold now began to be very
intenib, as Fahrenheit's thermometer,
that was at 54 at the foot of the
mountain, fell to 24* The wind was
alfo become fo violent, that we were
fometimes obliged to lie down to avoid
being thrown into the molt dreadful
precipices by its fury.

:U / O We

t *4* 1

We were now arrived at one df the
higherft fummits, when our conductor,
who did not take great pleafure in
the walk, endeavoured to perfuade us
that this was the higheft part of the
mountains. We had juft fitiifhed our
obfervations, and found by them that
Ramfden's barometer flood at 24-238,
and die thermometer, fixed to it, at 2^,
when happily the clouds divided, and
we difcovered a ftill higher fummit*"
We loft no time in deliberation, but
immediately afcended it, and when at
the top difcovered a fpace of ground,
abduteightyardsinbreadth,andtv^ent}r
in length, entirely free from fnow ; the
fand was, however, quite wet, from
the fnow having lately melted away*
Here we experienced at one and the
fame time a high degree of heat and
cold, for in the air Fahrenheit's ther*
mometer was conflantly at 24, and
when we fet it down on the ground,
it rofe to 153. The barometer wa*
here at 22-247, and the thermometer
at 38. •

We could not with fafety remain

here any longer, though we were very

5 muoh

t *43 )

niucH inclined to it ; and defcended*
After having considered the laft open*
ing there* one of the lides of which
was entirely overturned, and the other
quite covered with aGies arid grit; la
dnr return weobferved three confider-
dble openings, in one of which every
thing looked as red asL brick* From
another the lava had flowed in a flream
of about fifty yards in breadth* which
the Icelanders call Stenaa y or Scone- 6
Flood ; and at fome diftanee fifcin
thence the ftfeani divided into three
broad arms* Further on we found a
large circular opening, at the bottom
whereof we obferved a mountain in
the form of a fugar4oaf, in throwing
up of which the fire feemed to hav£
exhaufted itfelf;

The: laft eruption of mount Keckh
happened id 1766 ; it began the 5th
of April, and continued to the 7th
of September following. Flames pro-
ceeded from it alfo in December 1771,
and in September 1772, but no erup-
tions of lava, &c<

The mountain does not cionfift of

lava, but chiefly of fand, grit, and

Q/2 alhes,

t *44 1

fifties, which arc thrown up with the
ftones, partly melted, and partly difco*
loured by the fire. We likewife found
fevpral forts of pumice, and among
.them one piece with fome fulphur in
it. The pumice was fometimes fo
much burnt, that it was as light as
tow ; the form and colour of it was
fometimes very fine, but at the fame
time fo foft, that it was difficult to re-
move it from one place to ahbther : of
the common lava we found both large
pieces and fmall bits, as likewife a
quantity of black jalper, burned at
the extremities, and refembling trees
and branches. Among the ftones
thrown out of the mountain we fstvr
fome flate of a ftrong red colour*

L £ T T E R

I *45 ]

LETTEK XXI,
To Profeflbr Bergman,

Of the hot /pouting tVater-fp rings in
Iceland,

Stockholm, Q&, 3, 1774.

AM ON G all the curiofities in Ice*
land, that nature prefents to the
eyes of an attentive fpe£iatof to raifi?
his admiration, . nothing can be comr
pared to the hot fpbuting. watei>(pring$
with which this /country abounds.
The hot fprings at Aix^Ia-Chapelle*
Carlibad, Bath, and Switzerland, and
feveral others found in Italy, are con*
fiderid as wry:, remarkable ; but t<8>
ihy knowledge; except m the lafi>
mentioned country, the water no where
becomes « fa hot as tp boH ; nor is it;
any where duxown to be thrown fo
high! as at the /hpt fpouting water-
fprings in Iceland.

,.-'•0,3 AU

[ *4* }

All thofe water works that have been
contrived with fo much art, and at fq
enormous an ex pence, cannot by any
means be : compared with theft. Thofe
at Herrenh^ufen throw up 3, fingle
column of water, of half a quarter
of a yard in circumference, to the
height of alxout feventy feet ; thoffc
on the Winterkafteu, .3p CafTel, throw
it up, but in a much thinner cor
lumn, i 30 feet ; arjd that at St. £loud,
which is thfcught the gtpateft amongft
ell the French water-works, carts' ftp
a thin-columu eighty ftet ipto thq
air: nvhilft.ribme fprings. in. Ic^lan4
fpout colurpns of water, of fever at .feet
in thicktiefs, to. the heighfi of maiiiy fat
thorns ; antt:;many affirm pf feYfcral
Hundred* feet; .' j .. "

But, without relying itapon/iyJiktha*
been feid f byj0therfs:iof thefe vybflstes*
ftabpHaenohieria of mature* X think oiyfe
felf happy to *have cQittcm|rfafcei& f with
my • ow ; eyes thprznatb^ tfemwteffefc
of thefer fpriwgs,; whbrii! kas enabled
jhe : to > give 5J01& ; an //axroarate zocoxmt
of it. I only begileswrb to, fay, f«fc$ief
thing of them \v\ 'general, befa$3 ;T
treat of th^t J particularly f$w.

I *47 3

Thefe fprings are of unequal de-
grees of heat. From (bme the water
flows gently as from other fprings*
and it is then called laug, a bath >,
from others, it fpouts boiling water
with a great noife, and is then called
hver or kittel [kettle). Though the
•degree of heat is unequal, yet I do
not remember ever to have obferved
it under 188 of Fahrenh^s thermo-
meter. At Laugarnas werfcmnd it at
%%%> 191, 193. AtGeyfer, Reykum,
and Laugarvatn 212 ; and in the laft
place, in the ground, at a little hot
current of water, 213 degrees.

It is very common for feme of the
fpouting fprings to ceafe* and others
to fpring up in their (lead ; there are
like wife frequent traces of for mcr hvers %
where at prefent not a Angle drop of
water is to be.feen. Many remem-
ber to have feen inftances of this ;
end Eggert Olafsen relates, that in
j 753 a new hver broke forth at Ret*
kakiv, (even fathoms in breadth, and
three in depth, at the diftance of fifty
fathoms from an old (pring which had^
(^4 been

t ^ ]

been (lopped up by a fall of earth.
Frequent earthquakes andfubterr9nean
noiies, heard at the time, caufed great
terror to the people who lived in the
neighbourhood.

All theie hot waters have an in-
crufting quality, fo that we very c<W-
mooly find the exterior furface iroip
whence it burfts forth covered; with
a kind of cruft that refembles chaced
jwark, we at firft took it for. lime j but
ibon because dubious of t\iis t as it
did not ferment with acid ; bgt ; we
hope that you, Sir, W1 U ip°» reiplve
us. This . cruft is ip general very
fine; but is, however, moft pure
Hnd clear at the fpouting fprings ;
/or at the others, where the water
flows, the parts precipitated by. the
water arp fotfietimes mixed with earth,
.which makes thp cruft appear more
dark.

At the hverj; it was very difficult, nay
almoft impollible, to exaipine within
the opening the difpofiijiQn of the paf-
fage that the water has formed,, bofh
by reaibn of the heat of the Nyater,

and

;[ *49 T

and die violence with which it is forced
out. One may, howeyer, with con*
fidence judge of the great by the
fmall ; and it gave us the more plea*
fure,. as we had an oppprtunity ;at
Laugarnas to examine the very current
of water a confiderable way under
the Cruft; • ■ .: .-.:

The water had in this place made its
courfe through a. bright grey clay, the
furfaceof which. was cohered with a
white craft ; but was onithe fideneareft
the clay; quite fmooth, and.criUped oa
the upper iide. The current .'flowed
a good wayiinder thisicruft; through J*
canaLformed/xjf a firfiilan matter; and
the whole leanal was. fiHfcd. with cry&
tals* that : had a very pleafing effe£h
£ iiad not time to examine their nature
and form on. the fpot, as they were
Tery fmall; but I expert a moreip^jfr
•ticular account i>£ this fubjectfromyqw,
as you will 'find feveral.fpecimeps of
ihefti in the colle&ion I fent you;; ,M£e
icould not, however, purfue the courfe
of the water very far, as we were obr
Jiged to leave it to its tybterranean pair
fages, thrpugh which nature had ear-

ried

t 250 i]

fried it from its rcfervoirs, wbere, heated
fay the warmth, and comprefled by the
exhalations, it at laft burib from its
confinement by gufliing forth at an-
other place, t in order make way for
its vapours.

The water in lome places taftes of
fulphur, and in others not ; but when
dfaiik as fpdn as it is cold, 'taftes like
common boiled water* The inhabir
cants ufe fame knew at particular times
fordying ; and. were theytp-adopt pro*
per regulations, it might be ftill of more
tafe. Viftuals: may alfoiberbpiled in
it,: by putting it into a covered pot,
fend boiling it till a certain quantity is
evaporated. Milk held over this water
When- boiling becomes fweet^ owiag,'
jftdft probably, to its exceffive heat;
as the fame effect is produced by boik
itog.it a long itime over the iire* They
have begun %o make felt, by boil-
ing fea*watdr over it, which, when it
is refiqed, is vdry fine and good. Tha
oowsth^t drink of it yield 3, great
quantity of good milk* fSggcii: Olaf-
fen informs- us, that the water doei
Tioc become troubled wheo an alkali is
---■'' thrown

r *5i i .

thrown into it, nor does it change eo*

lour from fyrupof violets. I da not know

what degree of credit ought to be given

to Horrebow, who aflerts, that if you

fill, a bottle at one of the. fpouting

fprings, N the water contained in the^

bottle will boil over two or three times

during the time the £pring throws it

fprpH, ; and if corked too Cpon the bottle

^UJi bux;i|t \ \. .. *. t *V' ■ \ . "I

t Though it cannot bfc denied that

tjiefe fprings, h?ye tome communis

cation with the Icelandic volcanosi yet'

they are felcjpre found very near theih/

Ijut at e cilfperled throughout the whole^

42Qunt.ry f For this reafqn, hot fpripg^f

3re foun>4 nof .only among the njouri-,

tain?,, but.afib ,on the top of the ice!

mountains,;/^ on Tprfajockul, where*

3 great nurriber of hot fprings aVe to be r

nj^t with? .*Pi^ a JW9 n g tlficin two large -

fevers*- that throw up the boiTing water

tp,a grpat. height," There is like wile! a

l^jkewa^pfifprjng near Haadegis Hnuk,

qij Geitland's Jokul, at the foot ft f the

mpuntain, with many.Yr^ces gt former

hvers* There are even mi ihe lea hot

{pouting fgrings, tfya^cap, ojily be ap-

proached

I 252 } ,

proached at low water; as at Reyka* 1

fiord in Ifo-fiord, where four fprings

inay be obferved in the water by the '

afcending fleam, and one bver on th§ ,

furface of the water. There are alfQ

two others in the Oddbiarnar fhoals, '

ifill more at Drapfkar, and a great

number by San do, Urdholin, Reykey,

and on the .flat iflands. To give a k '

better , idea, of the fituation of' thefe

forings, I will give a lift of them,

that I will endeavour tp make as topo- 1

graphical as poffible.

In Borgarfiord's SyfTel, nearLeyraa,
not far from the foot of the mountain 1

of- Skardlheicje, we met with the firft
hvcr, which is, however, not a very I

ftrong one; and not far from it |

there is. a final! bafh, At Liinda Rey-
kiadal there is a hver and a bath ;
and near a farm-yard, Varma-Lakiar-
Mula, a warm fpring and a bath. A
little farther tot the ijorth is the valley
of Reykhqlts, that is tyvq miles and
a half iq breadth, in the bottom of
which hot baths are every tohere to be
met with. This fpot may be difcovered
*}t feveral miles diftance by the vapours

that

t *5l 1

that cxhaie every where from the hdt
water, and unite in the air, refem-
bling a prodigious fmoke arifing from
fome volcano* The three^ principal
bvers in this place are, Tunguhver,
Aaa-hver, and Scribla ; the laft fur-*
niflies water to Snprralaug (Snorre
Sturlefon's bath) that is efteemed the
bed in Iceland. From this place there
is no hot fpring to be met with north*
ward for a very large tra£t, till you
come to Sneefield's Cape, where there
is a lukewarm fpring near the farm
called Lyfehol, in Stadefveit : and at
this place many remains of antient
bvers are to be feen. Still further to the
north, in Dale Syflel, is a warm bath
With fome fprings. In Soling's Valley,
and further on, near the farm Reyka-
holer, in Reykianas, are many ftrong
bvers; particularly three very large
ones, but the moft considerable of them
is Krablanda. From thence we came
to the hot fprings of Flatdarna, Odds-
biarmarfkar, and Draplkar ; and after-
Wards vifited thole at Talkne-fiord, Ar-
nar-fiord, and Ifa-fiord in Reyka-fiord,
where there is a ftrong fpouting fpring.

After

[ ^4 ]

After ^e had paft Cape Nord, or the!
northern extremity of Iceland, tvc
met with (bme warm » ipririgs at
Reykar^fiord ; others, together with a
fine bath, at Biarnar-fiordr near Kal-
dadarna : at Hruta-fiorden there is a
great bver calle Reike-hver, and an-
other as large at Midfiorden, called
Reikalaug. When you go from hence
fouthward into the country, you will
find a number of boiling fprings at
Hverevalle, three of which fpout the
water high into the air with a prodigi*
ous noife ; ftill further to the fouth
there is a truer near Geitlarfd's JokuL

If we turn again to the north, we
find hot fprings at Blanda, others near
the haven at Skaga-Strand, and fliJl
more at a little diftance from thence
at Skaga-fiorden ; one of which falls
from a rock thirty feet high. To
the eaft there are hot fprings in many
places of Vadie Syflel, as at Olafs-
fiordr, Langaland, Kriftnas, and Hraf-
negil ; but in Thingo SyfTel there
are fprings of both forts (baths and
bvers) in great number, and of con-
fiderable dimenflons. The bvers in

Reykia

Reykia Valley deferve to be piftfctt*
larly mentioned, • arao&gft them Oxtf
arid Badftofti are the largeft.

On the eaft fide of the country there
are no confiderable bv€rs 9 though warm
fprings are to be found in Selar, Lau-
garvalle* Rafukells, and Fliots valleys ;
and on the fouth, on Torfa JokuL
We then proceeded to SkaUholt, where
there afe many fprings ; about a mile
from thence the Imers, called Reikhote
and Grafa, which* both (pout very
high. The next hver is Geyfer, which
1 (hall afterwards mention more mi-*
nutely. Not far from this laft is Lau*
gervatn, a Fmall lake, round which a
number of warm fprings may be ob-
ferved, and eight boiling ones. Hie
road now leads us to the bvers at
Oelves, that are thought to be the
largeft in all Iceland ; the moft re*
rnarkable of which are Geyfer and
Badftofu,

Here is alfo a dry hver, water for-
merly proceeded from it, but now
it emits oftly fteam at the month X the.
heat of which however is ft> great,. that

a pot

t **« 1

fc prit of water placed over the Opeiixiig
boils in a very (hort time. We met with
fpouting fprings at Krufevik in Gulk
bringe Syflel, the hver Eine, the bvers
at Reikianas, and feveral at Laugarnas
in Kiofar Syflel.

From this lift, that* however, is
far from containing all the warm
fprings in Iceland, you may jtidge,
Sir, of the prodigious number thap
we met with* Near raoft of them
are warm baths, each whereof me-
rit a particular examination and de-
scription* Eggert Olafsen and Biarne.
Paulfen have made very curious ob-
fervations on feveral ,of them ; but I
only beg leave to mention fome which
I made at Geyfer, whfere is the largeft
of all the fpouting fprings in Iceland,-
or perhaps in the known world. Thefe
obfervations were made the 21ft of
September 1772, from fix o'clock in
the morning till feveri at night.

A^nong the hot fprings in Iceland,
feveral of which bear the name of
g€jft r > there are none that can be
compared with that I am going

to

[ i57 ]

to defcribe, though the beft defcription

wjjl fall very ftiort of it. It is about

%wo days journey from Heckla, not

far from Skaljholt, near a farm called

Haukadal, Here a poet would have

3* opportunity of painting 3 picture

of whatever Nature has of beautiful and

terrible united, by delineating one of

its mod uncommon phenomena : it

would be a fubje<3; worthy the pen of a

Thompfoti to tranfport the reader, by

poetical imagery, to the fpot that is

here preibnted to the eye. Figure to

yourfelf a large field, where you fee on

one fide, at a great diftance, high

inouQtabis covered with ice, whole

ftjmmits are generally wrapped In

clouds, &>. that their fliarp unequal

points became invisible. This lofs,

liowevsr, is compenfated by a certain

wind, that caufes the clouds to fink,

and cover the mountain itfelf, when

its fummit appears as it were to reft

upon the clouds. On the other fide,

Heckla is feen, with its three points

covered with ice, . rifiijg ^bovp the

clouds, and, with the fmokeAvhich a£

ceqds fronn it, forming other clouds at

R fome

[ * 5 8 ]
fome diftance from the real ones; and
on the other fide is a ridge of high
rocks, at the foot whereof boiling
water from time to time guflies forth ;
and further on a marfh extends of
about half a mile in circumference,
where are forty or fifty boiling fprings,
from which a vapour alcends to a
prodigious height. '

In the midft of thefe is the greateft
fpring geyfer, that deferves a more
exaft and particular account. In tra-
velling to the place, about a quarter
of a mile from the bver, from where
the ridge of rocks near it (till divided
us, we heard a loud roaring noife, like
the rufhing of a torrent, precipitating
itfelf from ftupendous rocks. We
afked our guide what it meant : he
anfwered, it was geyfer roaring ; and
we foon faw with our eyes what before
appeared almoft incredible. ,

The depth of the opening or pipe,
from which the water gufhes, cannot
well be determined ; for fometimes the
water funk down feveral fathoms, and
fome feconds paded before a ftone
that was thrown* into the aperture

reached

[ 259 I
reached the furface of the water.
The openingit&lf was perfectly round,
and nineteen feet in diameter ; it
-ended abtfve in a bafon that was
fifty-nine feet in diameter? both the
pipe and the bafon were covered with
: a l rough ' ftala&itic. craft, that had
been formed by the force of the wa-
ter; 4hei ufetermdft border of the bafon
is nin6 , feet and an inch higher than
the pipe it&lf. :

The v water here fpotited feveral
times a day, but always by ftarts,
and after certain intervals. The
people who lived in the neighbour-
hood told us, that they rofe moreijigh
in cold apd bad weather than at other
times ; and Eggert Olafsen and feve-?
ral others affirm, that it fpouted to
the height of fixty ~fathoms.~ Mod
probably they only guefled by the eye,
and on that account their calculation
may be a little exaggerated ; and in-
deed I doubt that ever the water was
thrown tip fb high, though I am much
inclined to believe, that it fometimes
mounts more high than when we ob-
served it f

R % J will

[ a6o 3

I will here infert an account, how
high the water was thrown the day
that we were there, which I hope j

will not be difagreeable to you; We |

obferved the height thus ; every one |

in company wrote -<}oyfn at each time
that the water fpcnjted, how high it
appeared to him to be thrown, and
we afterwards chofe the medium* !

The flrft column marks the fpoutuigs |

of the water, in the order they followed j

each other ; the fecond, the. time
when thefe fpoutings happened^; the j

third, the height to which the Mf #er |

rofe • anci the kft, how long each fpout- |

ing of water continued. • / , ; j

N« Time. Height. tfuratioi.

i At VI 42m* 30 feet om, ^of.

2 - jr - 6 - a ,; so

2 VII 6 - 6 - q .a^o

4 - 31 - 12 - a >*&

5 51 - 60 :j • o * 4

6 VIII 17 - 24 • - o , 30,

7 - 29 ■ - 18 - o 40

8 - 36 - 12 - a 4<x

Tlic

The pipe was now for the-firft time
full of water, and ran (lowly into
the bafon.

N« Time. -Height. Duration,

9 IX 25-48-1 10

10 X16 • 24 - 1 o
XII 35 minutes we heard as it

were three difcharges of
a gun under ground,
that made it (hake, the
water immediately flow-
ed over, but funk again
inftantly.
II 8 the water flowed over
the border of the bafon*

III 15- we again heard feveral

fubterraneous noifes,tho'
not fo ftrong as before.,

IV 43 the water flowed* over

very ftrongly during a
whole minute.
49 we again heard many
loud fubterraneous dif-
charges, not only near
the fpring, but alfo from
the neighbouring ridge
of rock?, where the wa-
ter tpouted.

11 VI 51 - 92 -40

R 3 After

I 262 y

After this great effort, the watei 4
funk down very low into the pipe*
and was entirely quiet during feveral
minutes ; but it foon began to bubble
again : it was however not thrown up
into the air, but only to the top of the
pipe*

Mt

Hours.

• Min.

N»

Hours.

Min*

I

5

7

18

5

42

2

5

9t

J 9

5

43*

3

5

IOJL

20

5

47

4

5

*3t

21

5

4 8i

5

5

■«4*

'22

5

49

6

5

l 7

23

5

3o£

7

5

i8i

24

5

5i£

8

5

20i

25

5

54

9

5

2lT

26

5

37*

io

5

2 3t

27

5

59

ii

5

2 7i

28

6

10

12

5

3<H

29

6

*9

13

5

3i|

30

6

23

14

5

33f

31

6

26

15

5

35

32

6

29

16

5

36

33

6

30

17

5

38

The force of

the vapours

that

throw up

this ws

iter is exceflive ; it

not

t 263 1

not only prevents the ftones that are
thrown into the opening from fink*
ing, but even throws them up to a
very great height, together with the
water. I muft not forget to mention
a very curious circumftance : when
the bafon was full of water, we placed
ourfelves before the fun in fuch a man-
ner, that we could fee our fliadows
in the water; every one obfcrved round
the fhadow of his own head (though
not round the heads of the others) a
circle of almoft the fame colours
that compofe the rainbow, and round
this another bright circle : this mod
probably proceeded from the vapours
exhaling from the water. I remem-
ber to have feen (bmething fimilar to
it when travelling in the dimmer,
particularly in the meadows, and it is
fboneft obferved when riding on
horfeback, or in a carriage, when
you have your fhadow on one fide.

Not far from this place another

fpring, at the foot of the neighbouring

ridge of rocks, fpouted water to the

height of one or two yards each time.

R 4 N*

t *«4 1

tie

Hdms. Min.

m

Hours.

Mill.

I

3 45'

7

4

o

£

3 47f

8

4

»,

3

o. 504.

9

o

5%

4

© ■ 53^

to

o

8t

5

o 55

ii

o

XI *

6

o 57l

12

o

14

The opening through ^vhiph this
Mrater llTued was not fo wide as the
other ; we imagined it poffible to flop
up the hole entirely by throwing large
ftones into it ; and even flattered our-
felves that our attempt had fuccecded,
but, to our great aftonifliment, th6
water guftied forth in a very violent
manner; this (hews how littlfe the
weak efforts of man avail, when they
endeavour to profcribe bounds to the
works of nature. We haftened to the
pipe, and found all the ftones thrown
afide, and the water playing freely
through its former channel.

In thefe large fprings the waters
were hot in the higheft degree> and
tailed a little of fulphur> but in other
refpe&s were pure and clear. In the
fmaller (prings in the neighbourhood
Z the

[ a*J 1

the Water was tainted; in fome it was
as muddy as that "of a fclay-pit; in
others as white as milk ; and yet there
are a few fprings whel-e the water-
forces itfelf through a fire underneath
as red as blood*

I have already obferved, that near
moll of thefe fprings and bvers there
are baths, ahd ^are frequently vifited
by the riatives : there are alfo In many
places dry and fwfeatirig-baths. Eg-
gert Olafsen mentions one of thefe
baths at'Huiifevik, in North Iceland ;
and I had the curiofity of feeing one
of them it Thibfaarhblt, not far from
Skallholtj it confifted of a hut taifed
of earth, into which hot fleams arofe
from many holes. Fahrenheit's ther-
mometer, which was at $j degrees in
the open air, rofe to 93 in the hiit
whilft it was open, and when it was
placed in one of the little openings
Che fteam arofe to 1 25.

LETTER

I 266 ]

LETTER XXII.
To Profeflbr Bergman.
' Of the Pillars of Bafalt.

Stockholm, June 6, 1773.

AMONG the effe&s of fire, fome
of which are extremely dread-
ful, and all of them very extraordi-
nary and remarkable, none have in
latter times attracted more attention
than thofe large regular pillars known
by the name of Bafalts. Formerly
there had been hardly any places ob-
ferved in Europe where this kind of
ftone was found, the Giant's Caufe-
way excepted ; and the mod part of
our mineralogifts have, if I am not
miftaken, confidered them as a kind
of cryftallization. Mr. Defmarets was
the firft who maintained, in a diflerta-
tion he prefented to the French aca-
demy of fciences, that they were pro-
duced by fire ; and in it he defcribed
fome bafalts found near St. Sandour in
Auvergne.

This

1

C *6 7 1

This opinion at firft appeared al~
taoft abfiird to our natural hiftorians,
as it was not believed that volcanos
had ever been in thefe places where
bafalt pillars were found.

This new difcovery however occa-
fioned a more exadt enquiry concern*
ing other places where thefe pillars are
met with. All thefe enquiries only
ferved to confirm Mr* Defmarets's
opinion, by proving that thefe bafalt
pillars muft have been produced by
fubterraneous fires.

There is no one furely will enter-
tain the leaft doubt of a fubterraneous
fire having fofmerly exifted where
thefe pillars now ftand, as at Stolpen-
ftein in Mifnia ; near Lauban in Lu-
fatia ; in Bohemia ; near JLeignitz in
Silefia ; near Brandau in Hefle ; in
Sicily ; nearBolfenna, Motitebello, and
St. Forio in Italy ; hear St. Lucas in the
diftrift of St. Vicenza ; near Monte
Roflb in the Paduan diftrid, and
Monte Diavolo in the mountains of
Verona ; in Lower Languedoc ; in
Iceland, and in the weftern iflands of
Scotland ; all which you, Sir, have

men-

[ *68 1

Mentioned in your Cofinfography*
Alfoin St. Giovanni, Monte Caftelio,
Monte Nuovo, Monte Oliveto, near
C&der Idris in Wales, in England, at*
mofl every where in Velay and Au*
vergne, where whole towns, as Chil*
lac and St t Figur, are built upon thefe
pillars. But as this matter has not
yet been fully inveftigated, and it
cannot be determined with certainty
in what manner thefe pillars are
formed, though they are known to 'be
produced by fire, perhaps it will not
be difagreeable to you, if I fay (bme-
thing of the many bafalt pillars in Ice-
land,' as w$U as <jf thofe in the ifle ot
Staffa, which you will readily ac-
knowledge to be more fingular than
any thing nature ever produced of
this kind.

It is well known that thefe pillars
are very common in Iceland, andfome
account is alfo given of them in the
Phyfical Defcription publifhed of the
country. The lower fort of people
imagine thefe pillars have been £iled
upon one another by the giants, who
made ufe of fupernatural force to effeft

it,

[ a« 9 3

it, whence they have obtained the
name of the InoUfrblaud: Troljkonu
in feveral places. They have gene-
rally from three to fevea fides, and
are from few to fix feet in thicknefe,
-9tld from twelve . to fixteen yards
in length, without any horizontal
divifions* But fometiines they are
flnly from fix inches, to, one foot in
height* aad they are then very regit*
Jar, as are, thofe at Videy, that are
^fcd for windows, and dQQr-pofts.
In fome places thpy only peep, 6m of
the maintains Wr$ ^&d there among
4he lava* or ftiU oftener among tiffii
in other places, they ar^ quite over*
thrown, and only piece? of broken
pillars appear. Sometimes again they
extend .two or thr«e miles in length
without interruption. In the monnr
tain called Glockenberg in Snefiald£
n?s, this kind of ftone, appears in a
manner very different from any othtfr *
place in Iceland ; for on the top thfc
pillars lie quite horizontal, in the
middle they are (loping, and the
loweft are perfectly, perpendicular;
in fome places they arfc bent as a femt-

circle,

[ 27° 1

circle, which proves a very violent
effeft of the fire on the pillars already
(landing, as in moft places, or at leaft
in a great many, they are intirely per-
pendicular, and by their form and fitu-
ation (hew that they have even been
burnt in a perpendicular dire&ion.

As to the matter of which the Ice-
landic bafalts- are compofed, it is in
(bme places (imilar to that of which
the pillars at Staffa confift,- though in
•others it is more porous,' and inclines
more to grey. > And who-jbiows, if
an attentive attd curi6'tf^ r riatilralifl:,
who hiad both time and talents requi-
site for fuch an undertaking, might
not eafily trace all the gradations be-
tween the coarfeft lava and the fined
pillar of bafalt ? I myfelf faw fome of
this laft fort at Videy, that were
folid, of a blackifli grey, and com-
pofed of feveral joints. Not far
from thence, at Laugafnas, near the
fea-fhore, I faw a porous glafly kind
of ftone, confequently lava, but was
fo indiftin&ly divided, that I Was for
a long time undetermined, whether I
(hould confider it as pillars or not ;

but

C 271 ]

but at length the reft of the company,
as well aS'iriyfeH/ were perfcaded that
they really were pillars. But -I will
poftpone the examination of the mat-
ter of which thefe pillars confift, and
of the manner in which they are
formed, till fuch time as I have giveii
you the promifed defcription of the
ifle of Staffa.

A piece of good fortune procured
us the pleafure of being the firft who
ever examined thefe wonders of na-
ture with an attentive eye. Among
all thofe who have publifhed defcrip-
tions of Scotland, there are none ex-
cept Buchanan, whofe account, how-
ever, is very imperfeft* that mentions
a fingle ly liable of thefe pillars* • Mr.
Pennant, an indefatigable and experi-
enced naturalift, in the fame year that
we vifited this iflafid, made a tour to
Scotland to examine the natural pro-
ductions of that country, but was pre-
vented by a contrary wind from going
Staffa. Moft probably we (hould
not have come there neither, if the
ufual ebb and flood, which is very

ftrong

[ m 1

ftrongr bgtweea the weftern i&nda of
Scotland, Hid Qqt forced ue fe oiar
way to Iceland,, on the twelfth ©f
Auguft in the night, to caft anchor
in the Sound, between the ifle. of Mull
and Morveo. on the Continent, ex.-
a£tfy oppofite to Drumen, the &at of
Mr. Maclean, We were immediately
invited to land, and breakfafted there
with the hoipjtaUty that characterizes
the inhabitants- of" the- Highlands of
Scotland* Mr* Leach, another gueft of
M^p. Maclean, gays us many particulars
ojf thefe pillars, which, he bad yifited
a few days before.. Mr, Banks's deuce
of mformatkon co.Uld not refift the
offer of this gentleman to accompany
us to Sta&a; we therefore went, on
board «v long-boat tfes fame day,
and arrived there at nine, o'clock in
the evening, . Ip was impoififele for
our fprprize to. be increafed, or ouaf
curiofity to be fuller gratified, than
they were the next morning, when we
beheld the beautiful fpecl:acle that na*
ture presented to our view.

r

[ ,*73 ]

: * If we even with admiration behold
art, according to the rules preferibed
to it* obferving a certain kind of or-
der that not only ftrikes the eye*
but alfo pleafes it • what muft be the
effedt produced upon us when we be*
hold nature difplaying as it were a
regularity that far furpafled every
thing art ever produced ! An atten-
tive fpe&ator will find as much occa-
[fioiv for wonder and aftonilhment, to
obferve how infinitely fliort human wil 1
clom .appears*, when we attempt to
iiwUate nature. ,1a this as \Vell as in
auy ? other of .her grand and awful
|>rodu|ftix)n?^ _And though \X§- ac.-
Jknowledge nature* to be the riiiftrefe
ol* all the arts, and afcribe a greater
degree -of . perfection to .thenv the
liearer they approach and imitate it,
yet we fometimes imagine that fhe.
-might be improved, according to the
rules* of architecture*

How magriificeiit at*e the remains
We have of the portitoes of theantients*
and with what admiration do v/e "be-
hold the colonnades which adorn the
principal buildings bf our times ! and

S yet

L *74 3

yet every one who, compares them
with FingaPs Cave, formed by nature
in the ifle of Staffa, muft readily ac-
knowledge, that this piece of nature's
archite&ure for furpafles every thing
that invention, luxury, and tafte ever
produced among the Greeks.

The ifland of * Staffa lies weft of
MuH, and three miles N.E. of Jona or
Columb-Kill ; it is about a mile in
length, and half a mile in breadth,
and belongs to Mr. Lauchlan Mac-
Quarie. On the weft fide of the ifland
is a fmall cave, where there is a very
convenient landing-place, but where
no regular bafalt figures are to be met
* w ith f To the fbuth of this cave are fome
narrow pillars, that, inftead of (landing
upright, are all inclined, and look like
fo many pieces of an arch. Further on

* Mr. Banks's account of this ifland, as communi-
cated by that intelligent gentleman to Mr. Pennant,
and inferted in his Tour in Scotland, and Voyage to
the Hebrides in 1772, is too curious to be omitted, as
it is not only very interesting in itfelf, but is an unde-
niable proof of the accuracy and fidelity with which
our author/ Dr. Troil, has treated of the various fub-
jefts contained in this publication: — the editor deans
it therefore unneceffary to apologize for fubjoining at*
extract of it to this, letter.

you

/.

[ *75 ]

you leave a fraall grotto on your right
hand, which is not compofed of pillars,
though they appear more diftin&ly
and larger above it, and in one place
referable the interior timber«work of
a Chip* t)ire&ly oppofite to it, only
a few yards diftant, is the peninfula
of Bofcharla, that entirely confifts of
regular though lefs pillars, gnd all of
a conical figure, Some of them lie
horizontally, others incline, as it were,
to the central point, as to the upper
end ; but the greater number are per*-
fe&ly perpendicular* The ifland it-
(Hf, oppofjte to Bolcha-la, confifts of
thick columns or pillars, not however
very high, as they gradually decreafe,
.in approaching to the water, and ex-
tend into the fea as far as the eye can
reach. You may walk upon thefe with
great eafe, as from one ftep of a ftair-
c^fe to another, till you come to Fin-
gars, or more properly fpeaking, to
Fiulin Mac CoulV grotto or cave,
which enters into the mountain from
H. E. to E.

This cave confifts of very regular*

-jpUiarSj which to a great extent on

. §2 both

[ * 7 6 1 '

both fides, and in the mod interior I

part, fupport an arched vault, com- |

pofed of the obtufe points of pillars
crouded clofe together. The bottom '

of the cave, which is filled with clear ,

frefh water feveral feet in depth, is
likewife , covered with innumerable
pieces of pillars, that compofe its
floor. The colour of the pillars is
of a blackifh grey ; but between the |

joints there is a yellow ftala&itic
cruft that makes thefe divifions more
diftinft, and produces an agreeable
effeft to the eye, by the many differ-
ent contrafts of colour. It is fo
light within the cave, that one can
diftinguifh the innermoft range of
pillars perfedHy well from without.
The air in it is very pure and good,
as it is conflantly changed by the
riling and falling of the water during
the tide. Very far into the cave there
is a hole in the rock, fomewhat lower
than the furface of the water (landing
in it, that makes a pleafing kind of
noife on every flux and reflux of the
tides. One may walk in moft parts of the

cave

[ *77 1

cave on the broken points of fome
pillars rifing above the furface of the
water, but it is moft convenient to go
in a boat. We made the following
meafurements of the cave :

F. I.

The length, from the
fartheft of the bafalt
pillars, that form a canal
from the (hore to the
cave, *' - 121 6

From the commence- •
ment of the vault to the
end of the cave, 25a o

The breadth of its entrance,

Of the interior end,

Theheight of the vault at the
entrance of the cave,

Of ditto, at the interior end,

The height of the out ermofl
pillar in one corner,

The height of another, in the
north-weft corner,

The depth of the warer at
the entrance, - , -.

At the inner end,

F. I.

37 1 *

53

7

20

117

6

JO.

39

6

54

18

0.

9

Abov

36

S

39

6

3i

4

34

4

t . *7* 1

Above the cave was a ftratura of a
ftone mixed with pieces of bafalt. We
jnade the following meafurcments :

F. L

From the water to the foot
tof the pillars,

Height ot the pillars,

Height of the arch or vault
above the top of the pillars,

The ftratum above this,

From hence, a little farther north-
weft, we met with the largeft pillars
that are to be found in the whole
ifland. The place on which they
flood was likewife quite free, fo that
we were enabled to examine it* The
following was the refulfc of our mea-
furement :

The weftern comer ofFingal'sCave:

i. From the water to the
foot of the pillars, - 12 io

2. Height- of the pillars, 37 3

3. The ftratum above them, 66 9

Farther weftward :

I. The ftratum beneath the

pillars, ' * , - % * 1 1 «

2> Height of the pillars - 54 o

3# The ftratum above, - 61 6

% i. ' Still

t 279 1

Still more weftward : F. If

1. Stratum beneath the pil-
lars, - - - - 17 1

2. Height of the pillars, 50 o

3. Theftratum above them, 51 I

Still more to the weft :

1. Stratum beneath the, pil-
lars, - - - 19 8

2. Height of the pillars, 55 1

3. The ftratum above, 54 7
The ftratum beneath the pillars here

mentioned is evidently tujf % which
had been heated by fire, and fecms to
be interlarded, as it were, with finall
bits of bafalt ; and the bed or ftratum
above the pillars, in which large pieces
of pillars are fometimes found irre-
gularly thrown together, and in un-
equal directions, is evidently nothing
elfe but lava* Though a prodigious
degree of fire muft formerly have
been requifite to produce this upper
ftratum, yet there are not the leaft
traces in its exterior, the pillars having
been removed by it, for the whole
enormous mafs refts upon them.

When you move farther on, and

pafs the northern fide of the iftand,

S 4 yo$

[ ?8o ]

you come to Corvorant's Cave, where
the bed beneath the pillars is railed,
and the pillars . themfelves decreafe
in height: they are, however, toler-
ably diftinft^ till you are paft a ^>ay
that extends very far into the coun-
try, and on the fide of it the pillars
entirely difappear. The mountains
here confift pf a dark brown ftone, of
which I cannot affirm with certainty
whether it is lava or not, and where
not the leaft regularity is to be obr
ferved ; put as foon as you paH*
the fouth-eaft fide of the ifland, the
ftones begin again to afTume a regu-?
lar figure, though ib gradually, that^
it is fcarcely perceptible at firft, t\l\
at Jaft, the regular and crooked pillars
again appear with which I began my
defcription.

The pillars have from three to, feven
fides, but the greater number have five
or fix, and (b crouded together, tha$
a heptagonal pillar is (unrounded with
fevey others, that join clofely to its
fcven fides. In fome places, howr
ever, there are little, infignificant fif-
iures, but they are filled up with quarz;

but

C A8i ]

but in qne place they had even made
way through a number of pillars,
though without in the leaft deftroying
(heir regularity. The pillars confift
of many joints or pieces, of about a
foot in height, which fo exaftly fit
Upon one another, that it is difficult to
introduce a knife between the inter-
stices. The upper piece was gene-
rally concave, lometimes flat, and
rarely convex ; if the upper joint was
flat, the lowed was fo likewife ; but
when it was excavated, the lower one
was rouhded and reverfed.

The fides of the pillars are not all
equdty broad. The following mea-
surements were taken of four pillars':

Feet. Inches.

N° I. with 4 fides, Diameter

1 £

iftfide

1 5

2d - -

1 1

3d - - - -

t 6

4th - -

i 1

N° II. with 5 fides, Diameter

2 10

iftfide

1 10

ad

1 10

3d - - *

1 5

4th ' - * • .«.

1 7t

- $& s * " 2 r

1 8

• v

n°iil

t 282 ]

F, I.

N*IH. with 6 fides,

Diameter

3 6

1 ft fide

*•

10

' 3d '

«■

2 2

3 d

«

2 2

4th

Ǥ

I XI

5th -

•

2 2

6th

«■

2 9

K*W. with 7 fides,

Diameter

4 5

III fide -

-

2 id

ad

-

1 4

3d

•

I IQ

4th

<•

. 2 O

5th

-

I I

6th

•

i 6

7th '

«*

I 3

The pillars arc intirely fmooth, and
as (harp cornered as thofe of the
Giant's Caufeway ; their colours are.
generally black, though- the external
fides {bmetimes incline to yellow, as
their fur faces are bleached by the wea-
ther* ' As to their grain and fubftance,
they Entirely referable, and are moft
probably th* fame original fubftance
as the rooft fine trapp of Weft-Gothland.
Aalhave none remaining of it, I cannot
- : • ■ , . examine

t **s ■ I

examine what efFeft borax and other
alloys, or aqua-fortis, and the like,
would have upon its what is the na*
ture of its fpecific gravity* and what
polifti it will admit, it would, not with*
(landing, be ufeful to be informed of
all this in order to compare it with
fimilar kinds of ftone from other parts*
But in what manner have thefe re- :
gular pillars been produced ? It is the
received opinion that the fire has been
acceflary to it : you have yourfelf re-
marked, Sir, that it muft either have
been a matter melted by fire, and after*
wards burft, and then a liquid, which
We are yet Unacquainted with, that mud
have produced thefe regular cryftal-
lizations; or elfe that it muft have
been, as you have likewife oblerved, a
kind of earth, which, after having
been foftened by the exhalations arif*
ing from a fubterraneous fire, its
whole mafs was forced out of it*
fituation, and affumed this regular
form as it grew dry. I have no*
deed this diftindl and regular appear*
ance in dried clay, and even i»
{larch when dried in a cup or bafon.

For

C *8 4 ]

, For it may be deraonftrated that they
,are not cryftals fprmed by nature, by
their not being produced as all other
cryftals are, by external appofition (per
appofitionem) nor in any other matrix,
as is common to cryftals.

It would be very difficult to deter-
mine whether the matter of which
thefe prifmatic pillars confift,, burft
into thefe regular forms after it was
melted, and was growing cold, or
whilft it was drying, as you feero in-
clined to believe 2 1 cannot deny that
my eyes have prepoflefled me in favour
of the firft opinion, in all thofe places
where I have feen any of thefe pillars ;
but as fo many objections may be of-
fered againft this opinion, I ansi obliged
to leave the matter undetermined.
The following may, however, ferve as
a proof, that I did not, without due
foundation, believe them to be a kind
of lava, that burft in growing cold
and hard. Firft, you find both in the
ifland of Staffa and many other places,
that the pillars ftand on lava or tuff*
and are fiirrounded by this matter.

Secondly*

[ 2*5 ]

Secondly, at StafFa, there was a largf
ftratum above the pillars, and in: d
were many pieces of thefe pillars
irregularly thrown among one an* 1
other, which leaves us to conje&urtt
that they muft have been more in
number, and higher after an old erup-
tion of fire, but that a fubfequent
eruption had overthrown them, and
mixed them with the whole mafs.
Thirdly, we found one of thefe pillars,
on breaking it, full of drops, almofl
like a ftala&ite or dripping ftone; and
none furely will pretend a bafalt to be
offuchacompofition. Fourthly, I have
formerly faid, that the pillars in fome
places referable the infide timber-work
o£a Chip; that is to fay, thefe pillars,
which mod probably were quite ftrait
at firft, in falling received this crooked
inclination ; nor were they only the
joints of the outermoft: or loweft fide
which warped a little, but each ftone
was bent fingly. Fifthly, we found
on the (bore at Huitara, near Skallholt,
a fragmentof bafalt, with a piece of glafs
Clicking in it, in the fame manner as
cryftals, like garnets, are found in the

bafalts

[28* ]

bafalts at Bolfenna, which are like
jfehtfe that abound in the lava of Ice-
land and Italy. And laftly, a kind of
•ftone near Laugarnas in Iceland, which
SWttiiiuch coarfer, and more glafly than
j&e common bafalts, and evidently was
4ayg. burft into polyedrous and regular
iigwres* though not quite fo regular as
Jtbe above-mentioned pillars.
. What I have here faid, might cafily
jkiduce one to imagine that, the bafalt,
lifter having been melted, a«d become
teold again, hid been burft into fuch
frillars. But two objections, that
yon ratfe againft this opinion, are
difficult to be removed, Firft, this
jtnatoer melts fo eafily, that it becomes
gtefe without difficulty, before the
bk>w-»pipe for allaying, whence it feems
(hat this mafs muft neceflarily have
been changed to glafs, if it had been
£KpQ&d to fo great a fire as that
of an eruption f But may one fafely
£udg€ of an experiment made in mi*?
niature by the blow-pipe of the
workings of nature at large ? Might
not, perhaps, an addition we are un»
acquainted with/ have prevented the

jnafs

;[ **7 ]

trials from becoming g)a&> and caufe
it to break into thefe regular figures,
though we cannot nowi ^determine
wherein this addition confided ? Se-
condly, we find that the trapp i*i
.Weft^tathlanfd, which both in appear-
ance and fuhft^nce fo much refemble
bafalts, though it does not form itfelf
into pillars, (lands on^flate; ^ldtiow
could this trapp have been formed
by the tire, without, at tfei feme time,
ading on the bed, whirls of ;fb pom-
"buftible a nature? But tfhoiuld iaoc,
perhaps the fire he able io form tlYe
trapp into pillars ? Perhaps £X!&Kai$lt
pillars rflay have been a ftiaft &f itisLpp
in the bowels of the earth, that being
liquefied dtjring an eruption^ was
thrown , Uip, and fplit, into pillars.
But, Sif, I fear to fatigue you with
my conjectures and queftions ; it
would, however, be very agreeable
( to me and other naturalifts, if Jon
would kindly comraiinicate to US ^our
thoughts on this fubjedh , This would,
no doubt, enable us to Judge wifh
more. certainty of the bafalts, that at,

prefcnt

[ 2*8 ]

prefcnt engages the attention of the
curious in general, and all naturalifts
n particular.

ACCOUNT of the Mand of STAFFA,

COMMUNICATED

By JOSEPH BANKS, Es^

T N the Sound of Mull we came to anchor (Auguft
^ 12, 1772) on the Morven fide, oppofite to a gen-
tleman's houfe called Prumnen : the owner of it, Mr.
- Madeane, having .found out who we were, very cor*
dially afked us afliore: we accepted his invitation,
and arrived at his houfe; where we- met an Englifli
gentleman, Mr. Leach, who no fooner faw us, than
he told us, that about nine leagues from us was an
ifland, where he believed no one even id the highlands
had been, on which were pillars like ihofe of the
Giant's Caufeway : this was a great objeft to me who
had wiftied to have feen the caufeway itfelf, would
time have allowed : I therefore refolved to proceed
direftly, efpecially as it was juft in the way to the
Columb-kill ; accordingly having put up two days
provifions, and my little tent, we put off in the boat
about one o'clock for our intended voyage, having
ordered the ftiip to wait for us in Tpbir-more, a very
fine harbour on the Mull fide.

At nine o'clock, after a tedious. paflage, having not
had a breath of wind, we arrived, under the direction
of Mr. Macleane's fon and Mr. Leach. It was too
dark to fee any thing, fo we carried oar tent and
baggage near the only houfe upon the ifland, .and be-
gan to cook our fuppers, in order to be prepared for the
carlieft dawn, to enjoy that which, from the converfa-

tiom

I

i

X **9 3

<Sbn of the gentlemen we had now raffed the h!gUef|r
expectation^ of.

The impatience which every body felt to fee the
wondbf s; we had heard fo largely defcribed, prevented
Our morning's reft; every one was up and in motion
before the break of day, and with* the drfk fight ar-
rived at the S. W. part of the ifland, the feac of the
tnoft remarkable pillars ; where we no fooner arrived,
than we were ftruck with a fcene of magnificence
which exceeded our expectations, though formed, as
We thought, upon the moft fanguine foumdarttons : the
whole of that end of xht ifland fuppor ted by range*
of natural pillars, moftly above fifty feet high, Hand*
ing in natural colonades, according as the bays or
points of land formed rhemfelves : upon a firm bafis
of folid unformed rock, above thefe, the ftraturai
Which reaches to the foil or furface of the ifland, va*
ried in thicknefs, as the ifland itfelf formed into* bills
or vallies ; each hill, which hung over the column*
below, forming an ample pediment ; fooie of thefe
above fixty feet in thicknefs, from the bafe to the
point, formed by the doping of the hill on each fide,
.almoft "mto the fhape of thofe ufed in architecture. *

We proceeded along the fhore, treading upon an-
other Giant's Caufeway, every ftone being regularly
formed into a certain number of fides and angles, till
iri a.fhort time we arrived at the mouth of a cave,
the moft magnificent; I fuppofe, that has ever been
defcribed by travellers.

The mind can hardly form, an idea more magnifi-
cent than fuch a fpace, fupported on each fide by
ranges of columns ; and roofed by the bottoms of
thofe, which have been broken offin order to form it ;
between the angles of which a yellow ftalagmitfc mat-
ter hasexuded, which ferves to define the angles pre*
cifely, and at the fame time vary the colour with a
great deal of elegance ; and to render it ftill mor$
agreeable, the whole is lighted from without ; (o that
the fartheft extremity is very plainly feen from with-
PUt, and the air within being agitated by the flux and
T je8u*

C 290 ]

tcflux of the tides, is perfe&Iy dry and wholefome,
free entirely from the damp vapours with which na-
tural cavernsin general abound.

We aflced the name of it ; faid our guide, The cave
of Fiuhn : what is Fiuhn ? (aid we. Fiuhn Mac
Coul, whom the tranflator of Offian's works has
called Fingal. How fortunate that in this cave we
ftiould meet with % the remembrance of that chief,
whofe exiftence, as* well as that of the whole epic
poem, is almoft doubted in England !

Enough for the beauties of Staff a ; I (hall now
proceed to defcribe it and its productions more philo-
fophically.

The little ifland of Staffa lies on the weft coaft of
Mull, about three leagues N. E. from Jona, or the
ColumbKill : its greateft length is about an Englifli
mile, and its breadth about half a one. On the weft
fide of the ifland is a fmall bay, where boats generally
land : a little to the fouthward of which the firft ap-
pearance of pillars are to be obferved ; they are fmall,
and inftead of being placed upright, lie down on their
fides, each forming a fegment of a circle : from thence
you pafs a fmall cave, above which, the pillars now
grown a little larger, are inclining in all directions:
in one place in particular a fmall mafs of them very
much refemble the ribs of a fliip : from hence having,
pafled the cave, which if it is not low water, you muft
do in a boat, you come to the firft ranges of pillars,
which are ftill not above half as large as thofe a little
beyond. Over againft this place is a fmall ifland,
called in Erfe Boo-Jba-la 9 feparated from the main by
a channel not many fathoms wide : this whole ifland
is compofed of pillars without any ftratum above
them ; they are ftill fmall, but by much the neateft
formed of any about the place.

The firft divifion of the ifland, for at high water
it is divided into two, makes a kind of a cone, the
.pillars converging together towards the centre: oa
the other, they are in general laid down flat; and 10
the front next to the main, you fee how beautifully

they

t 291 i

they are packed together ; their ends coming otit fqnari
With the bank which they form : all thefe have their,
traofverfe fe&ions ekaft, and their forfaces fmooth,
, which is by no means the cafe with the large ones*
Which are cricked in all directions. I much queftibn,
however, if any one of this whole ifland of Boo-fha-la
Is two feet in dianieter.

The main ifland oppofite to Boo (ha-la, and farther
towards the N. W. is fupported by ranges of pillars
pretty ereft, and though riot tall (as they are not un-
covered to the bafe) of large diameters ; and at their
feet is an irregular pavement, made by the upper ficfes
of fuch as have been broken qff, which extends as far
tinder water as the eye can reach. Here the forms of
the pillars are apparent ; thefe are of three, four, fivd
fix, and feven fides ; but the numbers of five and fix
are much the moft prevalent. The largeft I meafured
Mrcis of feven ; it was four feet five inches in diameter **
The fdrfaces of the large pillars in .general are rough
and uneven, full of cracks in all directions ; the tranf-
verfe figures in the upright ones never fail to run in
their true directions t the furfaces upon which wd
Walked were often flat, having neither concavity nor
Convexity ; the larger number however were concave*
though forae were very evidently convex : in fome
places the interftices within the perpendicular figure*
were filled up with a yellow fpar ; in one place a vein
palled in among the mafs of pillars, carrying here and
there fmall threads of fpar. Though they were broken,
and crocked through and through in all directions, yet
their perpendicular figures might eafily be traced:
from whence it is eafy to infer, that whatever the ac-
cident might have been that caufed the diflocation, it
happened after the formation of the pillars.

* As Mr; Banks's meafureroent and dimenlions of theft
and other remarkable pillars, and of Fingal's Cave, agree
even to a Tingle figure with thofe given by oiir accurate
Author in pages 277, 178, 279, 281/281, of this work, the
Repetition of them would have been ufelefs 5 for which realbn
they are omitted.

T 1 a JVona

t *9 2 ]

From hence, proceeding along Ihore, you arrive
at Fingal's Cave,, which runs into a rock in the direc-
tion of N. £. by E. by the compafs.

'Proceeding farther to the N. W. you meet with
the higheft range of pillars, the magnificent appear-
ance of which is pad all defcription: here they are
bare to their very bafis ; add the ftratum below them
is alfo vifible : in a (hort time it rifes many feet above
the water, and gives an opportunity of examining its
quality. Its furface is rough, and has often large
lumps of (tone (licking to it, as if half immerfed ; it-
felf, when broken, is compofed of a thoufand hete-
rogeneous parts, which together have very much the
appearance of a lava : and the more fo, as many of the
lumps appear to be of the very fame (lone of which
the pillars are formed : this whole ftratum lies in an
inclined pofition, dipping gradually towards the S. E.
Hereabouts is the fituation of the higheft pillars.
The ftratum above them is uniformly the fame, con-
(ifting of numberlefs fmall pillars, bending and inclin-
ing in all dire&ions, fometimes fo irregularly, that the
(tones can only be faid to have an inclination to afliime
a columnar form ; in others more regular, . but never
breaking into, or difturbing the ftratum of large pil-
lars, whofe tops every where keep an uniform and
regular line.

Proceeding now along fhore round the North end of
the ifland, you arrive at Ouana /carve, or The Corvo-
ranfs Cave : here the ftratum under the pillars is lifted
up very high ; the pillars above it are considerably lefe
than thofe at the N. W. end of the ifland, but (till very
confiderable. Beyond is a bay, which cuts deep into
the ifland, rendering it in that place not more than a»
quarter of a mile over. On the fides of this bay, efjpe-
cially beyond a little valley, which almoft cuts the
ifland into two, are two ftages of pillars, but (mall ;
however, having a ftratum between them exaftly the
fame as that above them, formed of innumerable little
pillars, (haken out of their places, and leaning in all
directions.

Having

[ 29.3 1

Having pafled this bay, the pillars totally ceafe :
the rock is of a dark brown {tone, and no figns of
regularity occur till you have pafled round the S. E.
end of the ifland (a fpace almoft as large a$ that oc-
cupied by the pillars) which you meet again oh the weft
fide, beginning to form themfelves irregularly, as if
the ftratum had an inclination to that form, apd foon
arrive at the bending pillars where I began.

The ftone of which the pillars are formed, is a ,
coarfe kind of bafaltes,* very much refembling the
Giant's Caufeway in Ireland, though none of them
are near fo neat as the fpecimens of the latter, which
I have'Tfeen ,at the Britifh Mufeum, owing chiefly to
the colour, which in ours is* a dirty brown, in the
Irifli a fine black : indeed the whole produftion feems
very much to refemble the Giant's Caufeway, with
which I fliould willingly compare it, hacl I any ac-
count of die former before me*

Thus much we have taken from Mr. Banks's ac-
count of the ifland of Staffa— which Mr.Pennant aflures
the public in a note to his Tour in Scotland (p. 2,69)
was copied from his Journal; concluding in thefe
words : " I take the liberty of faying (what by this
« time that gentleman, meaning Mr. Banks, is Wf 11
€€ acquainted with) that Staffa is a genuine mafs of
te balaltes, or Giant's Caufeway ; but m moll re-
** fpefts fuperior to the Irifli in grandeur." .
. We think Mr. Pennant might have fpared his
reader this information, as Mr. Banks, in his account,
informs us, that it is a Giant's Caufeway formed of
coarfe bafaltes.

T 3 LET-

t 294 ]

J. E T T E R XXIII.

from Chevalier Ihre to Dr. TROit t

Concerning the Edda*

Upfal, Oft. 21, 1776,

S I R,

ACCORDING to your requeft, I
fend you an anfwer to. the ofrjec-*
tions made by Mr. Schlozer agaiu(fc
my opinion of the Edda, which, to-
gether with a tranfjation of my letter
to Mr. Lagerbring, on the fubje<3: of
a njaijufcript of the Icelandic Edda, is*
as you know, inferted in that gentle-
man's Icelandic hiftory.

It gives me great pleafiire to find
that my thoughts on thefe fubjefts
Tiave been examined by men of learns
ing in Germany, 6y which means a
number of falfe notions that had
Jbeen formed on {he fubjeft and de^
fign of this book have been removed ;
and I art} very happy to receive any

objections

t *95 1

objedions which may tend to . con-
vince me that I have been miftaken.
•'] Though I ik>w refume the pen, it is
not fo much with any immediate defign
to' • refute thofe- obje&ions that have
been made againffTme* as to give thofe
accounts and explanations required
of me, and which I think myfelf more
capable df doing than any otherperfbn,
as : l ean command the codex, when-
ever I think proper- Mr. Schlozer and
I prbpofe thq feme end to ourfelves j
namely, the inveftigation of truth.
' Mr. Schloier's firft obje&ion is,
that I havfe not given a complete de-
'icription of the manufcript, its fize,
&c. He is perfe&ly right in this
point, and I will briefly endeavour to
repair this difficulty ; but firft, I muft
bbferve a diplomatic defer ipti on was
not fo much required in that letter, as
I had direfted my attention more to
the contents of the book than its ex-
ternal appearance.

1 intended to (hew what was the
view . of the author of the Edda in
compofing this work, what parts be-
longed to it, and which did not, where-
T 4 in

t *9* ]
In our manu&ript differed from Reie-
niusV edition, whence the b<x>k h&4
obtained the name of Eddq, (kc*
but its diplomatieal defcriptious wpukj
have afforded no information fri jujy
of thefe articles*. This letter jyafc h$f
fides not addrefled to any foreign nqaji
of learnings but to oqe pf my learned
countrymen, well .vjerfed In ftflttept
literature, who had frequency this
manufcript in his ew$ hl&dpi *w4
examined it, and wi$ perhaps fe^tg:
acquainted with ltj:h&n .»y(fl& :: , &
would have been vej*y fupeffluQT^a to
tell him it was written in antjent cha-
racters, in the Icelandic language*
and on parchment. v r

But to oblige Mr- Schlo#er* : ^d
perhaps many others, I wift iflforip.
them that this codex, as I faid, ^pf^,
is wrote upon parchment, thp ( coJqur
of which is dark brpwn, that apisiy
proceed partly from its antiquity, aad
partly perhaps from its having been
long kept and made ufe of ?n the
Icelandic fmokey rooms. It is in
Very /good prcfervation^ and in ge-
neral legible* It is true* thpj^ aye

Tome

{ %99 3

forae rwmd hojee in the pjirehmsnjt,
butthefe feem to have a \&PQ'thei^t
ftrft, as no part of tl>e te^t if (pj|f>y
them. The fize j? a f^y qyi^r^, one
jfinger in tbickpefs, /contaip.^ jfiftj^
four leaves ^nd a hd&pT,?iae hundred
and nine pages* , be^cfes 3 : vhite » f^a*
before and Qne behind, <o.j> 'Tyhich
there are, hQwerer, fora? bad4g»F?£ >
thefe figures \ on the' fiyrflj repreftnt
Gangleri* wh,o propofes^ /\yi^h 3&«^
.fuhfu? aqdTb^Mi ?:r i<i r.efplye jqjf^r
questions. Tlie chftra&ers are ; *^»
and* whwicp^p^^ yith in^ny ofteKg,
fi?e^i to p* oye thaCth^ copyift ^cYcd
about the begii»Ain^,p ; f the fourt^eoth
. century, Buf all tljis j^s, pf very littje
importance. M|r. '^^^r believes
his fubfequent qu^fQpns may giye
ipore Ught in fettling 'the principal
point* as thpy tend t$ difcoYer, \yfyo
yra$ the author of tbe, ^.dda^ , and
what really belongs to it:, / . = ;

He is fherefqre more curiotip tp kflftw
what is qpfjtained in this <?odex, Mr.
Schlozei; . believes he has fb feufh
more j-eafon for putting this queftioh,
as I myfelf have hinted, that, tafi^es
Daraifagor, Kaningar, and Llodf-

greimir,

C 298 1

grtimir, it contained a lift of Icelandic
lagmen,and a langfedgatat or genealogy
of Sturlefon's anceftors. He therefore
defires to know if this codex is not a
magazine of all kinds of Icelandic
works, which have been accidentally
fcolle&ed into one volume, and bound
together ? I anfwer to this, if the cafe
were thus, Mr. Schlozer might have
'expe&ed from a man who acted with
candour and fome knowledge of the
matter before him, that he would not
"have omitted this circunfftance. I
; therefore now declare th&t there is no-
thing elfeih it, but what has al-
ready been mentioned ; imfefs I add,
that p. 9 2 s and 93, after the author has
defciribed the general rules of poetry,
anil the nature of letters, and the co-
pyift has left half a blank page before
he writes the names of all the different
' forts of verflfication ufed in the Ice-
landic poetry, another hand has
patched in q, fteganographical writ-
ing, that I did not know what to
make of during a long time, and in-
deed I did not take great pains to de-
cypher it.

I will,

[ 299 ]

I will however give a fpecimen of
it: dfxtfrb fcrkptprks^bfnfdktbjkipmnk-
bxs bprks* As I was reading in Vanly!s
Bibliotheca Anglo" Saxonica, I acci-
dentally met with a ~fimilar collection
of confonants, with a key affixed to it,
which {bewed that the whole fecret con-
ilfted in placing, ipftead of each vowel, ,
that confbnant which in the alphabet
followed next to it; alfo inffead of a, €,
i> o, u,.y, the letters b, f, k, p % x> z,
were put ; 'and according to this rule
the aforementioned riddle, iigflified,
Dextra fcriptoris benedi&a fit omnibus
Jioris.

I afterwards foupd the fame kind of
fteganography pisntioned in a little
work afcribed , ,to JRftraban \js Maurus,
under the title of JDe Iriventione Lit**
terarum, and which is fb celebrated
on account of the proof contained in
it of the runes of the Marcomans*
After letters became more univerfally
known among the people, the fubtle
monks however, defirous of knowing
Something that the vulgar were un-
acquainted with, invented various
myfterious ways of writing in this

man*

f 39? 5
.manner, which they not pt\ly make
%Ce of ampflg thejrnfelves, but intro-
\IijcedjQ their public writings. This
tafte met with admirers among our
aqpeftors in Sweden* and thence we
jfjnd fo m^ny k\nd$ of what are called
<vi7lrunes that wfetre tjnmtelligible to
"the vulvar, See, ift 'Bgutty,' N° 25,
*$5 r > llUi&y $Z9f 568,; 571; ^72,

581; .648, ;748f; 767, $17; 8.19,

SSs'/'iooj, 1688/ and many more in
' ^VVbttft^us. ' Perhaps what we call

afflprig utf helfinge runes, have affo no
'other origin," as 1 the greater part of
'them only differ from the common

rijnQs f by tiav^ng the ftaff taken' away.
*ft is' ho^qver remarkable that our
~ gravers of runes even made qfe of this
* ^iyptographys in monuments ere&ed
^tb the r tneii4ory and honour of the de-

n: Tc : is fijriher afked, if there are any
#8 ixterrjai or interhal traces of the co-
^jpyift having confidered all the above-
-mentioned pieces, or at leaft.the three
°!fcrft parts, as a connfeded worlf ?
~ 'The ?tnfwer to this may. be found in
E |\he title of the bpok, whicli is<at length
' : \ ' in

[ 3« ]

Ifr thfc Grorahfon ejditio»» *ftd IrtrtWl
thus :

"' fidk thcffi hiker BddA-. Hefcftfe
bev6r lam fetta &ram Stbtlo & *$®t
thfeim httelti, Ifcm hfer £t thipafc. Ett
fyrft fra Aftim ok yttii ; tharnaeft
fltalld ifkapar malok h^iti ittafga hluta*
Sidaz hofettertel, er Siitirri beVtt ott
~iim 15K*a>i k. ok Skuh Hfertfcga i tfcftt
is, Tliis book is ealled EtJd* ; and t&i
beeh icOTttpofed by Sitfdrre Stufletonj ife
the manner it ttoW (lands : vifc. fiHfc
of the afes and yttii, afterwards • thfe
language of poetFy, a!ftd its tfppeltfr-
tions -of various things, Lafliyv 1 *.
differtation of the verfificadons Snfctttfe
made upon king Hakan and duke
Skule.

I mentioned in* my letter to M*.

Lkgerbring, that the Rubrifc was

1 wrote . in a later hand ; wfoteh is

right, fo far as has been added after

the Edda itfelf was begtin, as -may

be feen by the harrow 4pace teft

for it, fo that it has forced the #6-

pyift to bring the laft line ifito.thAt

immediately preceding it. Beficfe&v I

' clearly perceived that the manu-

£ . feripj

C 302 ]

fcript was very old, and that no rea*
fonable eye-witnefs could believe it
was written in 1 541, as Mr. Schlo-
zer conje&ures. But as it had been
written with red ink, which had pre-
ferved its colour better than the black,
I then believed the hand had been
fomewhat more modern; but as I have
now very minutely compared the writ-
ing in the Rubric with that of the Edda*
I think I may fafely affirm, that they
are both written by one and the fame
hand. From hence it follows, that
he who copied the Edda confidered
the above-mentioned articles, and no
others, as eflential parts of it»

I am come to the principal queftion,
whether Sturleibn is the author of the
Edda? Here Mr. Schlozer feems to
have taken moft pains, to prevent me
from deceiving the learned world in
this point.

Becaufe Mr. Schlozer has found that
moft antiquarians exprefs themfelves
with a kind of circumfpe&ion when
they fpeak of the Edda and its author,
and inftead of pofitively declaring

Sturle*

I 303 ]

Sturlefon the author, as Arngrim aod
fome others have done ; only fey, Cre-
ditur, exiftimatur auftor fuifle : that is*
he believes the matter to be at leaft
dubious, if not totally groundlefs.

I will not infift upon it, that there is
at leaft more affirmation than negative
in thefe expreffions, efpecially as it
is ufual, on mentioning an evidently
falfe opinion, to add, falfo creditur, or
ibmething (miliar. For Mr. Schlozer
himfelf remarks very judiciously, that
the opinion of thefe men is of very
little importance, when they alledge
no grounds for it. He- therefore be-
lieves himfelf entitled to maintain
with certainty, that Sturlefon has
falfely been thought the author of the
Edda. To fupport his opinipn, he
mentions three arguments in different
places, which Imuft now examine more
clofely. I

The firft argument is to be met with
* n P* 39> where Mr. Schlozer fubmits
it to confideration, whether the ferious
Snorre, overcharged with ftate affairs,
could befuppofed to have had time/
and did not think it beneath his dig-
nity

t 5H 1

btey to wfte*n Aerarium p6eticutrij
•and" become the predeceflfbr of Wein*
fljid* ? Here I will only obferve, that
fitiorre was not conftantly lagman, and
that he might have compiled this work
before he obtained this dignity, or in
the interval between the ftrft and fe-
fcond admtniftration of this confided
ubie dharge ; and laftly, even in its va-
cancies. Neither Mr. Sehiozer nor I
ate able to determine how much time
the management of a lagman's office
requires, • They hold feveral yearly
court>days br aflizes, after which I
have always understood that they are
entirely free and difengaged j fo that
1 may fairly infer, that the lagmen are
3ittt 'troubled with the examination of
tedious records, or are employed in any
extraordinary works. We find many
Icelandic lagmen who have been poet
Jaureats in Sweden and Norway, as
iMarcm Skaggafon, Sturle Tbordarfon,
*md others. If.- Mr. Schloztfr's aiv
^gutfient y?&$ corictufive, he might go
4H11 farther, and prove, that Star*
4efon could neither have written *he v
Heirtifkringla, or hiftory of ibi ttonfa*
tttt kings, which required ten times
x % more

j [ 305 ] .

f$are time, and more laborious di£
^uifitions, than the Edda, "
, Mr. Schlozer founds Jhis fpcond
argument on his believing it mere-*
dible, that any one in the, golden
age of poetry, in Iceland fhoiild pre-
sume to advance fuch ablurd things
as I have done in my letter* He
therefore believes the Ed da to be a
production of later times, when
poetry was in its decline in Ice*
land.

To underftand the whole force of
this argument, it muft be known,
,that Mr. Schlozer divides the; Icelan-
dic literature into three periods ; the
fimple period, fropi the beginning to
the introduction of Christianity ; the
golden period, from the introduction
of Chriftianity to the plofe of the thir-
teenth century, when the black death
or the great plague, as well as the fub-
jeCtion of the Icelanders to the crown
of Norway, checked the progrefs of
poetry j and the laft, from that period
to the prefent, I will not ftridtjy "ex*
gmine this divifion, though I cannot
comprehend that the introduction of
\, r V Chriftianity

C 306 ]

Chriftianity could contribute to the im-
provement of poetry ; and ftill lefs, if
the diger-death, which raged in the
middle of the fourteenth century, pro-
duced the fame effedi on the furviving
poets, as on the cultivation of the
country and its population. But this
I am clear of, that any one who would
attempt to clafs the Icelandic poets with
any degree of certainty, muft be per-
fectly well acquainted with their lan-
guage, and be able to weigh the facut*
ties of their minds againft each other-

It iignifies very little under what
particular 1 dynafty the poetry of the
Chinefe moft flourifhed, fo long as
we are able to underftand their poems
without the afliftanee of an inter-
preter.

As to the paflages of Icelandic poete
that I have quoted in different places,
they prove not a tittle of what Mr*
Schlozer pretends they do. For Lopt
(Jutormflbn's verfes are not in the
Jidda ; a nd though the other fbng is
to be" met with in Refenius's edition
of it, yet it is not in the Upfal manu-
. fcript. It is therefore 'not kno^vn to

what

£ 3°7 1

what period they belong; and. they*
cannot by any means be made ufe
of as ptoofk to lhe.w* that Snorre
was not the author 1 of the Edda* Ik
is highly proper to be well acquainted
with a fubjeft before one ventufes to
treat of it.

I wiil by no means, preiume to
defend all the phrafes I have made
ufe of ; though it is well known that
cuftom has in&roduced them into every
language* which, were they tranflated
into other languages* would not! only
lofe their original beauty, but appear
aukward and gracelefs* For example*
it would not be believed that to tread
the ftars under, foot lignified to bdl
exalted and h^ippy ; nor would any-
one be undprftpod who would, to
exprefs a doubtful (late of mind, call
it hanging water. And thefe phrafes/

^not to mention an infinity of others,
\<rere however in conftapt practice

; among the Latins*

But as to our antient* anceftors irt

^particular, who- indubitably originated

from the EaA^^hey nb doubt brought

Xf % " theitf

. C 308 ]

their allegorical expreffions from
thence. And, in my opinion, the
'fondnefs of the antients for riddles
did not contribute a little to thefe
metaphors in (peech ; for their merit
frequently confided in the moft 'per-
verted expreffions, which in procefs of
time were Revived ahd admired as
beauties. We are not permitted the
liberty to judge without diftih&loft
in mere matters of tafte and geiiius,
though they widely differ from what
is pra&Ued in other nations.

Mr. Schlozer takes this third and
laft, and perhaps worif Argument
from the contradiction which I have
.obferved between the Edda arid Snor-»
re's Heimfkringla. I wanted tor Chew
in my letter, that the antients by their
Afgard iheant the town of Troy; and
this I cab prove, by the one having
maintained the fame things of Afgard
as the other dbes of : Troy. My opi-
nion therefore is, tHatTVoy and Af-
gard . muft\neceflarily fighify one and
the fame place, unle& We 'admit that
Sturlefoh • ha$ v ^ohtradiflted ~ 'hifirfelk

[ *o 9 ]

-|t may eafily be apprehended, that
; what. I have mentioned by no means
implies that there was a contradiction
between the E4djt and Heimikringla*
but; only that the above cited place
.had been called by two different names*
Mr* Schlozer caonot poffibly be igno-
rant of the meaning of argumenta-
tiqnes ab abfurdo.

, HithertQ I haye mentioned, the argu-
ments* with which Mr. Schlozer end«f-
vpiurs to (hew, that, Sturlefort b not the
author of th^rEdda.; ^>ut How to provf
the contrary .on my fides* .1 wilj v cpn*-
tent my felf with one fingle ajrgument*
that is of fnch a nature as to,xfta&£
all others unneceflary . In. the fuper-
fcription fubjoiqed tq our Coflex* the
ippyift roundly affirms Sturfefon $o be
thq author of. this work ; : %txdM$ td$5t
mony is fo much, the more undeniable;
as the nature of the copy, itfelf prpy.es>
that it cannot.. be . later than . the $ 4tH
century ; and that an Icelander had
made it on the fpot, who, 1 certainly
would not ,have thought it. worth hfi
attention and time to copy a work, if
Jie had not £uown the author af \U

U 3 That

[ 3to ]

'That this was the general opinion of
the Icelanders, I think, may be proved
thus ; that though various conje&ures
are generally made concerning the
author of an anonymous work, there
are hardly any except Sturlefon men-
tioned as the author of the Ed da. •

I catinot on this occafion pafs oyer
in filence what I have read Iti p. 326
of the Danifh Journal, pubKfiied by
Mr^Lilie, in 1756; namely, that the
celebrated Arhas Magriaus, ift a writ-
ten account left us by Samtmdr 5Vode r
TWats>o£ the fame opirii&ii as Mr. SchFb2^r t
that* Sturlefon was not Ihe author of the
^Edda.

-'' The arguments that tic makes uft
bf £eem to carry fonie. weight with
them j that in the la(t part of the
idda, called Liodfgreimir or Skallda^,
Sturlefon isT not only quoted, but alffc
recomniended as a pattern to the-
pOets ; and that in this part mention
is likfewife miade of the kings Hakan
tlakanfbn, Magnus, Erich, and Hakan
l&agnuflbn, who all lived later than
Snorre. This arguriient at firft
fight feems to be decifive, but lofes its

whole

'whole force upon a nftajer examina-
tion. ; The true ftate of thp patter is
*his:o : • ... 4 ; •;:,.. ; :•; . , :

h\ rln the beginning of hiodfgrtimir the
taiithflfcof jthe JEdda fays>c :i *ha£,he has
ft&ree; different .heads . to tyeat upon ;
viz. the rules of poetry, its, licences
"(licentia poetic a), and its faults (vitia
carminum), festning* , kife> andjy$er-
jbwkting* The two firft of tbefe fivb-
j&ls are perfe&ly difctifled in the
Liodfgreinrir, but the laft is panting.
A later; writer Ms Attempted CQ make
up this deficiency, and has therefore
made a fupplement to Sturlefou'sEdda.
It is not; in the kaft extraordinary that
he fhould have mentioned Sturlefon,
and given him; his merited ,(We of
praife ; but that this fupplement does
sot belong to ? the genuine Edda,, is
proved by the Upfal m^nufcript* where
it is entirely wanting. ; :

In this manner it, may bo expUunsd
what is faid of Jths ; fyeceeding Jungs :
they are never wtentiAned ip the Edda;
and. lam muqh^iftaken if Arna^Mag-
naus has n&t OaKen thsnfc fronj the
Skaldttal, , or, lift of poets* wv f f$ tho

u 4 * *

:[ ill i]

arfeafttifif^tt'rtdtice^f; Thre Shtiitimt
-wa3 ;: W£ ftidre than a- fUpplcmentrto
the Edda, as I (hall make it appear
prefefttly. tf • therefore- tHe. barhed
Mkgriat&had etfer ften t»fr Codes;: he
certainly Wonkl ildt have entertadned
thfe apinib : n* - j : -» <■ ' ,,; ! •>.:-
In regard" tb thefa appendixes* ' )I
art periettly. convlta&d that the- cata-
logue of Lugmin and' the-' hangfedgktui*
6r genealogy, a*e the wor^s tr£:Sniphf-
•fob Wmfeif; "- THe ; ftkbjeiSk^ooiiiiamdd
in them refers entfrfciy' Coc-SmJrTe^i/feo
was both; liagmantYttid aitkfeehdqnt
•oFlfie < Sttft*iHgafk<ttHyi •? :f HeJ>4fcr***-
*^/, df <gertealdgk:afc cibfe ,* whidi fi-enh
the fcf Mn^ng defckfhds W sMtrafc lsnb
from 'the* fetters and f mothers i s&dfe;. to
'the *8ri#, at SturU» ttittn'dS'' to alfcthje
rthifArfe&,'t(fid datigtoterfcthildrett!; ;y»t
in ifome'iiriffefceeS Wejii there hbeto>t*ll
thefe, but mod pfttfratoly tb thofe onfy
' Wh&»Vere'alfae \*heh'<«hi*i gthealogi*
cal ]tkBle=-was 'thm^bfed,! « 'THe-fame
•isT to tfe fbbftrvtJdn^w irfY^-GaBalogire
-«rf*feta^rtieto, Wl^<k!'i$.*i«yla€*a*
■fattfy mehtioried h&fr toflg everyone
»f • them foffeffei displace i»4>utt«
f J the

t 3*3 ]

^ie family, of Saorre the catalogue ftop*
without obferving how long they
maiiitaipejd ;this change, the laft; timer
It is tker.ejFpre impotiihlp thai, thi*
genealogy Aould, hay;e bef?U cproiiple^
before Sn«rrefs,;t:imq;^.,Jlpx , Is 1 it le*§
improbable ifcat; , an£,pn^:ihpuld fcav<|
emitted in-^ater tunes ;4fcjj add ths,jfix*

Lagpia^u the; ."lfill ti^1 v / "9^ .tV^Jpfi
(hauld . .%ve t ..fbrgpt . to. njentipA 5h|
f:ircjumfl:aiic^; .of ,him ihthe.whote. fttt
pf iagqaeny jv^hp was t the, n?p$ ^ on $%
ra(b^,of,daga ? , ra ll. i . ...;..* "; ^

jH$as y^y^pomnaqji,. fnqt, only Jfftthe
^KHfrh^-but Y e.yea mother, pajts^tjj
fubjow-fochJifts, gene^o^cal^abjqs.
jind: the llk^j.jto tergeg-worls, . i#. P$jer
i«. rescue, fhetii" fropi...aWiyioi^''"an.<|

proven*., $he$r -bei^g, t$$U# tyj. J£

jxfflmilgM; ' r ?n : #e ft^riWRBW!
^opyjft; pf. our \^eft Gqtjn^^had
jacj.ded .!$>,; it () a J^onu^ga , JJihg^i, or . lift
pf king£, j^&^ikewife a.;lif^'p,£<the,.bj-
ib^ops of Skara and.Lag^aon^r inlsAfipt
.Gothland. , Are Frode.Jfras, jii r '$fcp
*»anner flexed his genealogy to fta

Sphedis,

£ »«4 i

Sehedis, ; or Iftandiga bok, and fever al
others. '

\Jft is more difficult to determine
Ibmething conclufive concerning the
third appendix, or SkaldetaL I have
always been of opinion, that it waa
begun by Snorre, as it commdnly
follows the Edda, and thatit w&|
afterwards augmented by one ormiX^
perfbns : Wormius did* the lame by 4
p66m written by Saxb Hiarne, who ob-
tained by thlat composition the tfejg al
dignity in Denmark, though as a Dane
he was not properly intitf^d to b&
placed id thii lfft of Icelandic poets.-
" *riiit this catalogue was the work 8f
feveral ,handr may m my ^opinidi* be
perceived by more than dn& ihdicario-rt i
Jnirtifediately ; Hi the begthtoiftg 4t h ttd>
that Starkptter was the firft of 1 the
Skalds, whofe verfe^ the people had
Jeafited by heart ; and ih thV e tf d a
certain Ulfuer Bin Qtfrgeiti cited as the
firft,' who, according to : Mr. Siffc^
ning, lived in the fecohd century*,
and confequetttly iriuft have been fe-
deral centuries older than the above-
mentioned Starkotter. Thefe two
£ accounts

C S*5 ]

accounts can hardiy*U4 fuppofcd U
proceed from one and the fame author.
It is befides In controvertible, that
what is faid of the lafl Norwegian
kings corresponds not with the time
pf Snorre. It would : hie of eflential
fervice if a m&i of Mr. Suhm's merle
and abilities woufd critically examine
this Skal^etal', and "compare it wftfi
Wormitis'Sviift of poets,, r tbit differs lb
widely from it jn federal points. ; : .'
' Thfe at.lcaft may be perceived by
every bhei'thatthe'Skaldsthertipnifcn 11
ttoned have not all lived in the thir-
teenth century \ but that -a great part
ofthem eiaftefd hVthetepthj eleventh',,
and. twelfth 1 "centuries* The 23©
fckaloV wnoy^cording to Mr.fSchH^
tc?s reckoning, .lived $^the ifi8>
teenth century,' maf oe' J coh$d£raWy
reduced in number, bjrQiifc and the
lame Skald being mentioned in three
pr . four different places, as if he had
been in the fervice of as many matters.
It is very, remarkable that fome o!f
thefe Skaldfe, as Oltar Svarte, Sigvatur
Thordarfon, and others, have been

received

I 3*6 1
reqchxd as rjfet laureats Jn all the
tbjec, j»6rthct»:c«"urts.. .'....,..

Nor jfrit JcfcremarieaUe, that fome
pfjtb.eie Icelandic: Skajcls were taken

jp^gs; Al&efa^and. Ethelred : this
wxnijd require .*» examinatjioB to dif-
ijqyef bpyr. !&?Jir, •$k<tf<f/k*faupi*I, \'w
poetical . tanguflgej could bp under-
load in a foreign., country* as both,
languages,, t , ^ifhp^t . the& popticaj
%iwes, diflferYo $iaflfc( §?& «^»ch
ojpi^r, ,as, is.'ey^le^t from, : the. remains

fif,'M>*' '■• !.->^' * >...'V.. v;.., :

r.fljlg ^K^e^ if theware any

vhjch. ii;-;migjjt..bej. : guelfed ; that ttbe
tb^e-p^r'tf pf 3|je Ecida mentioned by
n^;bejor(g £p { £ije j another, tzmji form

o^.wc^j^^^ is. an-

&e«ed. by' the. title . qijofed . above #

?3ffl?W sftM"^^?? 18 are ^cfeai^y enu-

Wer'aj^ir^l '."cv ' •' • :<:'•• '.••••
^ Ja r^ga^<f f ,to ^Je third ,part> called
■&offljrr*imij:t'M.r. Schjqzex defires to
k#ow ^ovK^tbb title fuits-.fco an ars
Dpetica^jV" ~

- JhavcTalready in fome meafure an-
fwered this queftion in my letter to

Mr.

•[ 317 ]

Mir. Lagerbritig; by citifig the ftrangi
titles thfe antients fdmetimes prefixed
to their books. However, that i
more ciear idea niay b6 formed of
what relates to this appellation, it
fliould be obferved, that Sturlefon
immediately in the beginning divides
all founds or tones into three kinds.
The firft he calls vittlaus hliod, or
the found of inanimate things, as
of thunder, waves, wind, and the
like ; to the fecorid he reckons the
founds of irrational animals; and
to the laft, the articular founds of
men, which are produced by means
of the tongue, lips, palate, &c. He
then fpeaks of the found of the letters,
how fome are long, others fhort ; fome
confonants, and others vowels and
diphthongs : and then proceeds to the
rules of profody, and whatever elfe
belongs to the Icelandic fkaldjkap or
poetry.

From hence it may be feen what
has given rife to this appellation ;
S^iadfgreimir literally fignifying no
more than diftindlion of founds.
Sturlefon has given as ftrange a title to

this

C 318 J

this Northern hiftory, which he calls
heimfkringla, arid this from no other*
reafon, but becaufe it was the firft
word with which the book began.

t

LETTER

[ 3X9 I

LITTER XXIV.
From Chevalier Bach to Dr. Tit oil*
Of the Icelandic Scurvy.
Stockholm, June 12, 1 776.

SIR,

* l I s H E accounts with which you
X have favoured us of the difeafes
that abound moftly in Iceland muft be
of univerial fervice to the. Swedes*
When I had the pleafure and happl-
nefs of converting with you on this
fubjeft, my attention was peculiarly
raifed by the information you gave me
of the Icelandic fcurvy, and of its
dreadful confequences ; on thofe per-
fbns who were afFe&ed with it.

What Mr. Peterfen calls the Icelan-
dic fcurvy, is the true elephantiafis,
which is nearly related tb the leprofy.
Celfus has defcribed it in the days of
Auguftus : under; the name of elephan-
tiafis; and yet J Arftftus has treated
more fully upon it, tri feft.5, under the

lame

[ 3*o ]

fame name. It is more terrible than
any .i>ther difeafe, producing fre-
quently a dreadful end : it gives a
&fgpffito& appearance to the patient,
as the body by its colour, roughnefe,
and fcaly appearance, refembles the
£kin*of an elephant. Whoever com-
pares your and Mr. Peterfen's defcrip-
tion of this difeafe with that of the
antients, will not find it an eafy
.matter to take the Icelandic fcurvy
for anything elfe but the elephantiafis.
In my opinion, both Ettnxuller, as
well as Boerhaave and his famous.com-*
. mentator baron Van Swieten, would
have done better not to call the ele~
phantiafis the highefl degree of the
. fcurvy, or that they had not confou nded
thofc two difeafes, fo different in their
.beginning, prpgrefs, nature, and re-
medies,

Thofp among us who have written of
the theory of difeafes, have with more
.propriety &*&*' the name of fcurvy
'where a gradual increafing languor
. takes place, together with. a. bleeding,
Jlioking and putrid breathy and many
- coloured blackiih-bluc fpots on the
2 body,

[ 3^i J

body, particularly round tHe roots of
the hair, and which principally pro-
ceeds from corrupted fait animal
food, ahd the want of vegetables.
The elephantiafis, on the other hand*
which is alfo called Lepra Arabum> U
rather an hereditary difeafe ; the (kin
becomes thick, unequal, glofly^ and
lofes its fmoothnefs ; the hair falls off,
languor and want of feeling take place
in the extremities ; the face becomes
difgufting and full of biles, and the
patient gets a hoarfe nafal voice.
In the real leprofy (impetigo* lepra
GraeCorum) the (kin becomes wrinkled
and full of fcales, which feem to
be ftrewed with bran, often burft,
itch exceedingly, and are filled with a
watery moifture.

Mr. Sauvage mentions feveral forts
of elephantiafis ; but it is a queftion
whether they all differ or not, - as he
might have multiplied their number*
I believe that tlie elephantiafis men-
tioned by Cleyer in his Eph* Nat.
Curiof* and Sauvage's javanefe elephan
tiafis are very like to the Icelandic.
At leaft it is certain that the elephan-
X ' tiafis

^ I

[ - 3" 3

tiafis in Madeira, which Dr. Thomas
Heberdcn defcribes in the firft volume
of his Medical Tranfa&ions, almoft
one hundred years after Cleyer, is en-
tirely the fame.

It is very remarkable that this dif 1
eafe has preferved its nature fo per-
fectly in the moft northern parts dur-
ing more than a hundred years, arid
remained intirely fimilar to that in
the hotteft climates. The fame difeafe
appears at Martigues in Provence, and
has been defcribed by Dr. Johannes in
the firft volume of the Medical Ob-
fervations and Inquiries : that it has
been in the Ferro iflands, may be feen
in the firft volume of Bartholin's Aclis
. Hafnienfibus.

The difeafe obferved in Norway,
which Mr. Anthony Rol. Martin de-
fcribes in the Tranfa&ions of the Swe-
difh Royal Academy of Sciences, in
the latter end of the year 1760, may
Kkewife be reckoned amongft this
clafs ; as alfo that which appeared in
feveral parts of Sweden, and of which
Mr. Afleflbr Odhelius gives an account
in the third part of thefe Trans-
actions

C 323 3

aftions for the year 1774; all thefe may
very properly be compared to Mr*
Sauvage's Elephantiafis Legitima.

It was believed in the moft early
times, that this difeafe had taken its
rife in Egypt ; and Lucretius positively
fays, that it is was firft difcovered on
the Banks of the Nile. In Celfus ! s time
it was not at all known in Italy; howr
ever Pliny relates, that it was firft brought
jntp that country by the army of Pom-
pey^ from Egypt and Syria, but did not
remain there long* In the twelfth
century it was brought to Europe the
fecond time by the Crufaders r and is
frequently mentioned in the publi-
(cations of the thirteenth, fourteenth,
and fifteenth centuries: it was not
however very violent, in the fifteenth
and fifteenth centuries ; and in the
ieventeenth century it feemstohave in-
tirely difappeared in England, France,
and Italy, when all the Lazar-hqufes,
that had been built on purpofe to re-
ceive patients infected with this difeafe,
became ufelefs.

But how did this dreadful difeafe

come from the South, where the dif-

, X 2 eafes

f

t 3H 1

eafes conne£led with an eruption are
moft frequent, fo far to the North ?
Could it not alfo have happened by
means of the Crufades, our fore-
fathers in the North having had like-
wife the hononr to partake of them ?
Nay, even the Icelanders were not ex-
cluded from a (hare. The dldeft Ice-
landic writings give us examples df
the elephantiafis in Norway, and
other northern countries, as may be
feen in the firft volume of Olafsen's
Voyage to Iceland, page 1 72. But it
ftill remains a query, whether it was
the true leurvy or riot, which the
learned author found mentioned for
the firft time under the antient Nor-
way and Icelandic name of Jkyrbjuguf,
that appeared in the Norway fleet in
the year 1289, during the war of king
Ehrick with Denmark. For accord-
ing to Mr. Peterfen's teftimony, the
Word Jkyrbjugur is to this day fre-
quently made ufe of to exprefs the ele-
phantiafis j though I ffiuft confefs that
thefcurvy feems to be a common difeafe
among the fleets in thofe days as well
as in ours. However it would be

ufeful

[ 3^5 ]

ufeful for the hiftory of the difc
eafes common in the North, if the
origin of them could be determin-
ed from thefe old accounts, efpe-
cially as thefe accounts of the fcurvy
are two hundred years older than any
we have been yet able to difcover.
We may mod probably expert this
difcovery from our neighbours in
Denmark and Norway, who elucidate
the northern hiftory from antient ac-
counts with fo much zeal and happy
{hccefs.

Mr. Anthony Rol. Martin relates,
that in the above-mentioned place
the number of perfons in Norway in-
fefted with this difeafe, in the year
l 759> amounted to 150, for whom
three hofpitals were ere&ed ; and Mr.
Peterfen fixes the number of thofe who
were ill of it in Iceland in the year
j 76 2 at 280 perfons, for whom four
hofpitals were eftabliflied.

You may afk* Sir, how this di£
eafe came to be fo firmly rooted in
Iceland, as it has €0 deereafed in the
South, that it has almoft dfifappeared
there ?

X 3 I believe

I believe that this is not fo muck
owing to the climate as to the manner
of life and diet. People whofe con-*
tinual occupation is fifliing, are night
and day expofed to wet and cold, fre^
quently feed upon corrupted rotten
fifli, fifti livers and roe, fat and train
of whales, and fea-dogs J as likewife
congealed and ftale four milk : they
often wear wet cloaths, and are com-
monly expofed to all the hardships of
poverty -. The greater number of
thefe are therefore to be met with in
this clafs : on the contrary; where lefs
fifti and four whey are eaten, and more
Icelandic mofs (licheri Iflandicus) and •
other vegetables, this difeafe is not fo
prevalent, according to an obfervation
made by Mr* Peterfen in the above*
mentioned Tranfadtions*

We have a very.remarkable inftance
uf the great effects of diet on the di£
eafes of a nation, in the inhabitants of
the ifles of Ferro. Since fifliing has de*
clined among them, and the inhabitants
have cultivated corn, and live upon
other food inftead of whale's flefli and

bacon *

I 327 I

bacon, the elephantiafis has intirely
ceafed among them, according to Mr*
Peterfen's account. Things bore a very
different afpedfc there ten years before
this alteration : as a proof, I will quote
Mr. Debe's own words from the firft
volume of the A&. Hafn. pag. 98.
Elephantiafis in infulis Ferroenfibus
frequens ex vi£tu et aere, has habet
notas ; facies et artus Jiic fere ubique
foedantur tumoribus plumbei coloris,
qui exulcerantur foedum in modum,
Rauci funt hoc morbo infe&i, et per
nares vocem emittentes. Vere et au-
tumno iovalefcetts morbus plurimos
cnecat*

Experience likewife teaches us, that
the greater number of perfons labour-
ing under this diforder in our country
reflde near the fea-fhore, in the di£
tri&s of Abo and .Oefterbottn, and in
the ifles fcattered round the fhore,
who in general get their livelihood
by fifliing and catching fea-dogs :
from what has been faid before it
may be learnt what is proper to be
done gradually to remove, this de-
ftru&iv.e difeafe. But I will referve
X 4 for

t 3*8 ]

for another occafion whatever relates
tp his difeafe in Sweden.

About a hundred years ago plagues
and peftilential fevers raged in Europe,
as may be feen in the accounts of feve-
ral phyficians of the epidemical fevers
that prevailed at certain tinges. But
at prefent, when a better police has
procured us more cleanlinefs in the
ftreets and narrow lanes ; and more
neatnefs is obferved in our apparel
and habitations ; as alio fince beer
prepared with hops, wines, and other
liquors are drank, which are very
falutary, though they produce other
difeafes when made ufe of in excefs ;
fince fruits and vegetables, tea and
fugar, are become fafhionable ; thefe
and fimilar diforders are greatly dir
minifhed. Sir John Pringle proves the
truth of thefe remarks, accompanied
with, feverai examples, particularly
with refpedl to the difeafes of England,
in his Obfervations of the Difeafes of
an Army.

It is very probable that the elephan-
tiafis, and many other great difprders
in the (kin, quitted the fouthern

Coun->

t 329 3

pountries from fimilar caufes ; an$
have on the contrary maintained thenir
felves towards the North, where a fuG-
ficient quantity of bread cannot bp
provided for the natives, and where
the lower fort of people, who live ear
tirely by fifliing, do not eat any veger
table food, but only feed upon rancid
pily victuals ; and are befides unable
to keep themfelveg clean and neat,
being continually expofed to wet and
pold on the fea-Qiore, &c,

I fhouk} repeat the obfervations
which h^ve been made upon this
4ife^fe in Jceland, as they might per-
haps ferve to make our countrymen
better acquainted with the diforder it-
felf, and the manqer of curing it.
But you, Sir, might perhaps tell nje,
that this is a more proper fubjed: for
^ phyfical book than for letters con-
cerning Iceland ; for which re^font I
yrill be as concife a poffible,

Mr. Anthony RoJ. Martiq has gi-r
yen fo exad: an account of this dik
eafe, that I need not here enumerate
its fymptoms. Whoever compares it

with

t 330 ]

with Mr. Peterfen's little diflfertation,
Will become perfectly •acquainted with
the elephantiafis, its beginning, pro-
grefs, and greateft height ; and will
readily allow, that the Icelandic name
of liktraa is given it with great pro-
priety, which fignifies, th^t thofe who
are infe&ed with this difeafe in its
higheft degree, refemble a putrefying
corpfe more than a living man.

The elephantiafis is either inherited
from the father or mother, 'who are
afflicted with it, or it is not inherited*
In the firft cafe, the difeafe frequently
appears before the child is two years
old, and always before the age of
twenty-five, fo that fuchperfbns feldom
live to fee thirty years* The fooner
the difeafe makes its appearance, the
fooner the patient becomes a prey to
•death. But thofe who have not in-
herited tHe elephantiafis, but have
brought it upon themfelves by their
mode of living and other caufes, may
drag on a wretched exiftence during
twelve or fourteen years, and fome-
times longer. The elephantiafis is of
the fame nature in the South*

Before

1

t $3* 1

Before this difeafe breaks out on
feny perfon, his breath is difagreeablfc
and ftinking foi; three, and fometimes
fix years preceding: he has a great
appetite to eat four, half-rotten, and
Unwholefome food ; is always thirfty>
and drinks very much : fome are floth-
ful and fleepy, and when afleep are
with great difficulty awakened ; are
fliort-breathed when the complaint af-
sends upwards ; they fpit very, much,
and complain of wearinefs in their
kneest They fhiver violently when
they come out of a room into the
open air ; the eyes and lips become of
a brown and blue colour : they have
a weak fmell ; with fome the feeling
is likewife numbed ; others have weak
fight ; and fome lofe it entirely, when
their foreheads begin to fwell in the
beginning of the difeafe. They have
frequently thin hair, particularly on
the eye-brows ; the beard likewife
T grows very thin on both fides of
the chin, and the fkin becomes glofly>
as if it had been rubbed over with
greafe*

This

t 33* )

This dUeale is not found to be particu-
larly infections in Iceland : as ahnfband
afflicted with it does not infect his wife,
nor a dileafed wife her hufband. The
children may likewife be brought up
without danger in the houfe of their
dileafed parents. But it has been
found by experience, that when one of
the parents is infected with it, fome
one or other of the children always
catch it* It is the fame thing in Ma-
deira, as Dr. Keherden obferves. Dr.
Johannes informs us that at Martigues
in Province, when one of the parents
has the difeafe, one of the children
or grand-children, or a defcendant in
the third degree, is certainly infe&ed
with it ; but in the fourth degree
it again difappears, and only fhews
itfelf in a bad breath, hollow teeth,
fwelled throat, and a, darker co.lour
than ufhal. .

The more antient writers who have
treated of this diieafe, frequently re-
late, that people were even afraid of
being infe<ffced by con verfing with thofe
who were troubled with it. The dif-
eafe mult therefore either have been

more

[ 333 1

hiore violent in the beginning, dnd til
the fbuthern countries, as the venereal
difeafes Were formerly in the beginning
of the infection ; or the difeafe having
but lately made its appearance, catifed
tnore apprehenflons. It is, however,
always advifable to be cautious in
conveirfing with fuch patients, and
neither to wear their flioes or cloaths,
wheri they have beeri rendered wet
with fweating. When the difeafe is
arrived at fo high a pitch that the
matter which flows from the flun is
corrofive, and eats into the flefli, it can
no longer be denied, but that it then
becomes iilfe&ious, and even dan*
gerous to converfe too near with the
patient.

As the elephantiafis, whqn it has at-
tained its greateft height, is incurable,
according to the teftimony of antient
and modern phyficians ; it is fo much
the more necefTary to notice the begin*
ning of the difeafe, and the time pre-
ceding it, ' in order to prevent the
danger.

A patient who finds himfelf in thefe

circumftances, or lives in a place where

5 ' the

[ 334 ]

the difeafe is rife, or has any other
caufe to believe that he has the leafl;
veftige of it exifting in his body, eir
ther by inheritance^ or through his.
own fault, (hould, both in his diet
and in his whole manner of life, avoid
whatever is likely to contribute to it,
or render his body more liable to re-
ceive the infe&ion, with the utmoft
caution. He mnft keep himfelf ex-
tremely clean ; immediately put on
dry deaths, whenever thofe on his
back become wet ; eat no other food
bi^t what is eafily digefted, and abftain
from all oily rancid whale's flefli, and
the like. He rauft eat no half-rotten
fiflx, nor their ihteftines and livers, es-
pecially if they are in a putrid date :
pn the contrary, he muft confine him-
felf to bread, roots, green herbs, cab-
bages, turnip?, and fallad of gentiana
campeftris, forrel (rumex acetofa, L.)
rumex t crifpus, &c. &c. He muft
eat foups, boiled frefh meat, witk
fcurvy-grafs, fedum acre, and the
like. He riiuft make ufe of baths of
the decodlion of juniper, dry baths of
juniper, &c. In the fame manner
antimonial remedies would be very
a lifcful ;

[ 335 ]

ufeful ; and even Swieten's mercurial
mixtures, pills of an extra& of hem-
lock (pilulae alterantes Plumerii) and
ledum paluftre* I have likewife ob-
ferved with pleafure, that a girl in
the parifli of Wefter Hanninge was
cured of a commencing elephantiafis
in the year 17741 by making ufe,
during a long time, of Huxham's an-
timonial eflence, with a deco£Hon of
antifcorbutic herbs.

But every one will eafily apprehend,
that poor wretched people, who arc
naturally moft expofed to thefe and
the like dileafes, are likewife entirely
incapable of averting them by ob*
ferving a proper diet and manner of
life, which are, however, almoft the
only remedies, Befides, thefe kind of
people are generally carelefs of any
illnefs fo long as they are able to ftir ;
they likewife feldom confult a phyfi*
cian, and when they do, it is out of
their power to follow his prefcriptions
exactly , Someperfons attacked with it
have, however, been freed of it, after
having had the fmall-pox. It might,
therefore, be conjectured, that patients

affliaed

t 336 5

ttfflifted with the elephantiafis, if they
had not had the fmall-pox, would b6
benefited by inoculation*

Some who have had this dreadful
difeafe have gone from Iceland to Co-
penhagen, where they have happily-
experienced a cure. I will likewife
mention, in juftice to Dr. Thomas
Heberden, that he is the only phyfi-
cian known to have cured the elephan-
tiafis, after it had attained a very high
degree* His manner of cure is this :
he firft mixes an ounce and an half of
powder of bark, with half an ounce
of faflafras root; and then adds as much
fimple lyrup aS is neceflary to make
the whole irtto an elecStuary ; of which
he gives the patient two portions a
day, of the fize of a nutmeg : he
canfes the hands of feet to be rubbed
morning and evening with a mixture,
confiding of eight ounces bf brandy,
&n ounce of lye of tartar, and two
ounces of fpifit of fal armoniack.
He laftly caufes blifters to be coil*
ftantly laid between the (boulders*
This method regularly purfued fuc-
ceeded in the courfe of five months,

' after

[ 337 1
after he had previoufly made ufe of
antimony, mercury, and the ljke dur-
ing the full period of feven years, with-
out opy lifting amendment, But I
have already find too much of this
loathfome difeafe.

Sed qu$napi medela excdgitaH po-
tent, quae elephantem tann ingens ma-
lum expugnare digna lit ? sirettus*

h E T-

I .338 ]

LETTER XXV.

From Profeflbr Bergman to Dr.
Tr oil.

Of the Efetts of Fire, both at the
Vokanos and the hot Springs ; and
alfo of the Bafalts*

Stockholm, June 12, 1776.
SIR,

YOU have been fb kind as to com-
municate to me your obfervations
on Staffa and Iceland, and to defire
my opinion of their rtatural curiofi-
ties. It would be very ungrateful
if I hefitated to comply with this re-
queft, as you prefented me with the in-
tire collections you made there, that I
might chemically examine the nature
of each. Mere obfervatjions, with-
out the affiftance of an exaft know-
ledge of the fubftances, in refpeft
to their original matter and com-
pofition, inftead of affording any fuf-
ficient lights whereby to enable us

to

to* cktacnpinc ^vrith certainty **f them t
weuhohonly leak|::us to dr*w\very ei>
roneifois coaclnfions. ^fhotigh the form*
gcaitt^.colbuF, .hardaefs, pafitiofi* and
external app^jarances may afiift us
in ' our ponjciftUr^s of the true na-
ture of! numerals, : and foretimes of
the manner hi. which they; dre pro-
duced^ yet we mtift tieverthekfs re-
piaia in uncertainty tiH .proper ex^
periitients guide us>to a more;dear de->
cifion, . . ? :

/• Porgive me for mentioning* the con-
clufions, whjeh* in my opinion, might
fce/drauwii' from your obfervations, re-
gaining the/interpal nature of thefe
filbilanceb, fo far; $s I have been
able lo difcOter then* #©m a&uaj
fexperiinents. iBut! you muft by no
iraam ei?pe£bia:felutipn of all the dif>
fioulties that ayife on this, intricate
buifineft. J will cautio,ufly endea*
woiir to feparate what is certain, from
what has beea hitherto coniidered pre-?
carious and doubtful ; a due regard
to. truth will always prevent me, from
offering mere ponje£ures, orer$n ere*
dible opinions, with a peremptory de-
T? cifion,

t 54° ]

cifion, as incontrovertible arguments.
Experience - has taught: us that we
ought to judge of the ' works of
nature with the utmoft diffidence ;
and we do not want examples, even
from the remoteft times, of perfons
who have pretended to ^explain, with
the moft pofitive certainty, not only
how our earth, but even how the
whole world received its prefent form,
and even its very origin. To deterr
mine fhe contrivance of fo vaft a ma-
chine over a writing-deft; is, indeed,
one of the moft daring enterprizes
which the proud reafon of man ever
propofed to itfelf; and, more than
any other 1 attempt, (hews his weak*
nefs and arrogance. All thefe imagi-
nary fyftem9 have been by little and
little overturned, though the greateft
pains were exerted to compare them
with nature, and examine their exig-
ence. Their arguments were then
difcovered to be founded on a few in-
fufficient obfervations, or, what is
ftill worfe, on uncertain, and fbme*
times evidently felfe principles^

You,

t *4? 3

You, Sir, will therefore readily
excufe my timidity ; for inftead of
endeavouring to difcover all at once,
as it were a priori, though without any
certainty, the manner in which nature
works, and forms things in fecret, I
prefer the more laborious method of
difcovering it gradually with cer-
tainty, by experiments founded on
due obfervations j and fhall not he-
fitate to confefs my ignorance, where*
ever thefe guides in the iiudy of
nature ceafe . their inftruftiona. I
do not, however, rejeft all conjee*
tures and propofed opinions, when-
ever they lead to n<?w refearches,
provided they are^offered as mere con-
jectures, and not obtruded on us as
certain truths, or determined opini-
ons.

From what I have hitherto faid,
you will, \ believe, conceive my me-
thod : therefore I (hall enter upon the
fubjeft, and briefly treat of it ijnder
feparate heads, in the following inan*
ner,

Y 3 Of

t 54a r

O/./fc Hot Springs*

^OUR defcription of the Icelandic
• firings, the moft extraordinary
whifch have hitherto been difcovered
in the known world, was extremely
agreeable to me, partly on account
of the furprfeing force of 'thein*' and
partly on account of the great Tight
obtained in mineralogy by the cruf-
tated (tones formed in them. How '
thefe fprings may bfc 'accounted for, I
hope I have fufficiently explained in
another place * ; I fhall; therefore, en-
tirely pafs it over hete; tint now I
will communicate to you what I could
not then underftand, namely > the true,
nature of thefe depositions.

You have prefented me with the fbl-
iowing fubftances from the Geyter':

1. The- fubftance of which the water
has prepared itfelf a bafdn to fun
from. — -It confifts of a hard, rough*
greyifti, and irregular flaty, arid ge-
nerally martial cruftated (tone, ovfer
which a covering of fmall cryftalti-

* In my Phyfika beflcrifning om Jordlotet, ult. edit.

zations

iatioris has formed itifelf, that refefti-
bles the lichen fruticulofus, or rather
the Stahlftein drufe found in the We£
terfilverberg ; that is commonly called
the Flos ferri, or Eifen bluthe. Thefe
precipitations are opaque without, of
a whitifh grey, blacker within, and
plainly fhew the formation of feveral
crufts on one another. Thefe, as well
as the cruftated (tone, have the hard-
nefs of a flint ;• however they are not
€o compaft or ftrong as to ftrike fire
with the fteel.

The itrorigeft acids, the fluor acid
not excepted, are not fufficient with
a boiling heat to diflblve this fubftance.
It diflblves very little, if at all, by the
bio w-pipe with the fufible alcali, a little
more with borax, and makes a ftrong
effervefcence with fal fodae. Thefe
effe&s are peculiar only to a filiceous
earth, and therefore theire remains no
doubt concerning the real nature of
this cruftated ftone. Neverthelefs I have
melted it in this crucible ; firft, by
weight, with half as much alcaline fait,
and likewife with three times as much ;
Y 4 and

zzzzi: t„

t 344 1

find have obtained in the firft cafe 1
fixed glafs, and in the (econd one,
which, in diflblving, yielded a. com-
mon liquor filicum. The glafs of the
cruftated ftone is of a more yellowifh
brown than that of the cryftallizations -,
and this difference is caufed by the
greater quantity of irony particles*

2. The porous cruftated ftone or
(inter, which is found in the moor
fiirrounding the border of the bafon,
is light, whitifli, and here and there
fpotted with a ruft colour : it ia evi-
dently an incruftation upon mofs and
iimilar fubftances, that have decayed
by length of time, and left thofe ca-
vities.. In regard to its compofition,
it is of a iiliceous a nature as the pre-
ceding, and alfo perfectly fimilar in
refpeft to fire and difiblvpnts,

I have already mentioned the iblu-
tion of the flint in fal fbdse with the
blow-pipe ; and as Khali hereafter have
frequent occafiori to refer to it, I will in
this place relate the whole procefs. The
late director of the mines (bergmajiare)
Mr. Cronftedt makes mention of this

fait

r

t 34* H

fak :in; his: Mineralogy, bust it te:<fe*y '
feldom ; and he confiders it as lefe
proper for ufing with the blow-pip^
becaufe it is too fbon imbibed by the
coals. It certainly does not afford a
very good folution upon coals, and I
therefore made ufe of a filver fpoqn
made on purpofe ; by which method J
have been able to make good ufe of the
fal fodae, which in his examinations of
the different kinds of earjh in this
manner, is very ferviceable, and even
indifpenfably necefTary, as I fhall here*-
after prove more at large, in a little
difiertation on the blow-pipe, and it*
proper ufe.

I have frequently inferted a fuppofl-
tion in my printed works, that though
jthe filiceous earth cannot be diflblved
jn the niual manner in water, yet it
might with the help of a great degree of
heat ; and that this really happened at
the Geyfer, is evidently proved by the
$bove defcribed cruftated ftone* The
Jiot water forms of itfelf the large fili-
ceous bafon from which it ifTues
pup Qf ttye fubftaijcfej that is in a

diflblved

I J4< ]

dl&rfved Gate at the firft, but quickly
precipitates on account of the heat de-
leafing in the open air.' The heat
of the water was not examined with
the thermometer, till fuch time that
the baibn was filled, when it was
neverthelefe found at a hundred de-
grees, according to the Swedifh mea-
fure. It is in all probability much
greater under the earth ; for its run-
ning through cooler channels, and its
lpouting afterwards into the air to a
great height, muft neceffarily very-
much diminifh the heat on account of
the great difperfion*

This quick depofition produces both
the opacity and irregular forirt of this
(tone, and prevents the particles from
being fo clofely united as might have
been expe&ed from the degree of the
hardnefs of each, fuppofing the fol-
vent power had diminifhed .more gra-
dually.

Mr. Scheelfe has difcovered the for-
mation of the flint ; and I myfelf have
found out, within thefe two years, a
method of Obtaining, with the help

of

t $47 1, ♦

bf Cottie fluor acid, thirteen precipi*
tated cryftals of the fize of fmall peas*
This artificial pebble ift all experi-
ments, both in the W6t atid dry
.method, and even in the focus of a
burning-glafs> in a piece that I fent
to Mr. Macquer, difcovered exadlly to
him the fame qualities as the natural
one.

All thele circumftances, therefore,
prove, that the pebble is a faline
earth, which is compofed of fluof
Acid, and an original fubftattce exift-
ing in the watry exhalations* It is
Hot quite fimple ; but however, I have •
not been able to conilder it as any
other than an elementary earth : in-
deed my judgment is, that it cannot.
be compounded from any other prin-
ciple.

I do not in this place mean a finer
or coarfer powder, by the denomina-
tion of earth, as is generally under-
ftood under this appellation ; but I
take the word in a chemical fenfe, to
exprefs a fixed principle, which is
obtained in analyfkig any fubftance,
and that cannot be diflblved in boil-

5 in S

( 348 1

ing water, after the niceft mechanical
divifjon. It is well known that the
diflblubility of any fubftance may be
leflened by certain compofitions ; and
that a fblvent can better attack the
fubftance, according to the extent of
its filrface ; and laftly, that water in
an open vcflel will not admit of any
greater degree of heat than one
hundred degrees, according to the
Swedifh thermometer. A fubftance
may, by this rule, be diflbluble by
itlelf, after having gone through a
preparatory cleanfing, or a chemical
feparation, or with the affiftance of a
greater degree of heat, though it might
be indiflbluble without any. prepara-
tion, or with the ufual method of boil-
ing ; and it is with a view to this cir-
cumftance that I call the flint a kind
of felt, earth.

I have likewife examined the fub-
ftances you collected in the morals
near the Geyfer, and have found them
to be the following :

3. A dark-red bole, which became
darker in the fire, but was afterwards
a little attracted by the magnet. It

crum-

L 349: T

crumbles ,into pieces in thfe Water, anfd
is fine and tough to the touch.

. 4. ? A bluifh-grey clay , which coil-
tains green vitriol of decayed pyritae.

5. A brighter grey* fort, which did
not feenj to contain any vitriol.

6. A white or yellowifh clay* with*
ruft-fpots. '^^

. : All thefe forts -become veby hard in
the fire, and take a* good deal of tiirite
before they liquefy. The laft, when it
foftens, is more harfh and fandy to the
touch than the preceding forts.

The different forts of ftone collected
at Laugarnas are of another nature :
rior does the water here fpout out of a ;
bafon, but/ through many finall open* :
ings in the earth.

j. A whitifh irregular plated croft,
which often grows on the outfide into^
{mall globular blunt points/ This hi
acids gives a fudden • fermentation,
that immediately ceafes without its
being any otherwife > attached. It'
diflblves With borax by:the blow-pipe:
with great* difficulty; \- and * without :
jjiotion, hut with a loud effervefcence

with

[ $5* ]

wkh fal fed*. It is canfcqtrently »
filiceous mafi outwardly covered with
lime, and has fixed itfelf on the follow-
ing (ubftanee.

8. A folid irregular plated and
broken craft, of a dark colour, but in
many places tinged with bright blue.
fpots t It becomes quite fmooth in: ,
cutting, almoft like ftone marie,: but
does not crumble in water, nor does
it become foft in it ; widi acid it (hews:
an effervefcence which foon ceafes ;
with the blow-pipe it grows hard»
fbarccly melts at the thinneft edges,
and is attacked with fome motion both:
by borax and fufible urinous ialt and
fal fodsg, but 'is, not entirely diflblved
by any of thenu , <..

, 9. The ihbftance found at the hot-?
torn of the brook* which rcarries off-
the water that gufhes out,, is brawn,
fpongy, and cornpofed of pretty hard
flakes and threads, that aire covered,
with fine ghfly cryftallizations, Thefe
are clear only in fome few places j but
lofe their bw>wji colour, both in t fir©
and marine acid, and become quite:
clear.

Th©

t w 1

The (mall cryffclp fnjiflF wp.-wtef.
much under the blowpipe, *to<<>ft. like
borax; they float jr Rubbles qn the
furface,, and are ^V^Y^4 Wtfhgireac
difficulty by borax ; they are a&acked
by fal fbdae with ^ fjtjwng ebullition ; it
is- the, Tamp. with the mare folid flakee,
but they dp not pi^yp fo ftrongly as
the cryftallization. Thefe feveraj qua-
lities here mentio#§cl evidently (hew,
that this cruftatpd ftope conflfts of
zeolite*

10. From Reykum you fenfc me
calcareous {par in ltfipps, that are
externally rounded, sfe if they had
been tofled backward? ^nd forwards
by t^e wafer, ^qd rubbed ^gaixift hard
bodies. In them there are: fmall
greyiCh green cryftft^ations,. that
diflblve by the blow -pipe fo a Mack
flag ; the fal fbcjas make$ them effer-
yefce a little, bjuj: dpe$ not diflblve
then) ; they are lik^wife attacked with "
foipe emotion by fwfrble urinous fait;

1 1 . A loofe, tufeulbfe* whitifti cru£
t?ted ftone, or- c&vemous incrufta-
tipi), and yv\t\\ ijnpreffions of leaves,

(talks,

C 35a ]

ftalks, and the like. As to its na-
ture, it is filiceous ; but feems at the
fame time to contain a different fub-
ftance, as it diffolves more flowly with
ial foda.

The fpring which here burfh forth
in a very flopihg dire&ion towards
the horizon, according to your' ac-
count, depofkes a kind of fulphuiteous
greafe by its hot (team on the cavities
of the upper fide ;• but I have found
no fpecimen of this in the coHedlioft
yoo fent me«

From what I have hitherta faid, we
may gather, that the Icelandic : hot
fprings contain very different fub-
flanoes from what are to-be met with
in other places of the fame fort, espe-
cially filiceous earth* '-
: */ilibre is no Kriie at all near
thcGeyfer; but at Laugarrias there
are fome faint traces of it, partly as
an external covering, and partly as
conftituent parts ii* the zeolite, of
which more will be faid hereafter.
The balls of lime found at Reykum
are moft probably thrown out by the :

fpring,

[ ; 353 ]

JTpririg, and i have been rounded on the
furface by the fri&ioni

Of the -Eruptions df Fire.

I HAVE in another * place treated
pretty extensively of the dreadful
devaluations caufed by fubterraneous
fires on the furfase of the earth in many
parts of the jvorlcj* both in regard to
their chafes aod effe&s ; I have there-
fore, not any dung to add in this place
but * what particularly relates to Ice-
land, and what may fervc.to explain
the eruptipns that haVe happened there
from time to time*

Whether Iceland is to. be confidered
as entirely produced by volcanos*. is a
queftion that moft probably will re-
main unrefolved many years. It, is true*
Sir, that according tp the accounts you
have colle&ed there, the volcanoshave
raged inagreat .many places,; and that
the whole country is in a manner co-
vered with traces of their deftru&ive

# Vtrlds befkrifn, § 149.

Z effedls ;

[ 354 1

effe&s : we alfo learn from uridetiiabfcr
fadts, that new iflands have been pro*
duced by volcanos in many places.
But all this proves not any thing more
than that the moft dreadful effefta
have been produced by fiery eruptions
in Iceland.

To determine this queftion, it
would be indifpenfably neceflary that
a naturalift fliould thoroughly examine
all Iceland. If a granite, or any other
ftone or berg-art, was found in (olid
rocks, and not feparate or in loofe
fragments, which may have been
brought thither from diftant parts£
I fhould entirely diflent fropi youfc
opinion. But before thefe and the
like difcoveries were made, I believe
no conclufions could be drawn.

I may venture to maintain with
more certainty, that your colle&ion
confirms what I before concluded
from other reafons* viz. that in all
volcanos pyrites are found, which on
decompofing produce heat and fire * r
and like wife flate that, penetrated with
bitumen, ferves to feed the fire*

12. The

t 3/5 ]

ii. The date which you hatfe
brought from Iceland fplits into thin
plates, that difcover many forts of
impreffions, particularly "of* leaves ;
the colour is black, and it is exadtty
of the fame nature as the common alu-
minous flace. ''.'*'

13. The two pieces of fiirturbfand,
•or foffil wood, which you ' brought
with you, bear evident marks of a
vegetable compbfition ; and I may al-
moft affirm, with perfect certainty,
that the largeft is a kind of pinus
abies; on the outfide are barks land
branches, and in the infide all the
rings of the fap appear : the lefler is' a
piece of rind without .Wood ; both
are black, quite foft, eafily take fire,
and flame in burning'. After the
flame is extinguifhed, one hundred
parts afford forty -two parts of coals',
which after being only calcined yield
two parts of yellowifh-brown earth,
that is attracted by the magnet, and
partly difTolvfes with acids : it makes
fome effervefcence with bora* and
fufible urinous fait ; the fal fodx alfo
Z 2 caufes

caufes a little ebullition at firft, but
does not entirely diflbive it.

Your conje&ure, Sir, concerning
the manner in which the furturbrand
is produced, does not feem improbable.
I have already obferyed a long time
with furprize, that fifties, orthocera-
tites,^ lituites, wood, &c. &t?. which
*re to be found la ftate^ h^ve beep.
corxiprcfle4 or flatted, whilft they pre-
ferve thfir eptire form, ajid roundnefe
in lira^-ftone; s-

This faio£ circutnftance may be ob-
tffryed in the two pieces described
above, efpecialLy in the, larger,, which
is only aninchanda halfiQ thickneft^
thpiagh: it is, nineteen inches in length,
apd thirteen in breadth* The omfide
jaf it has no marks of any roundtpsft,
Jpxft is. qjiiite flat?. . An exceeding £ft$qt
weight is required to prcfi a fticj^to
fi flat plate; and I cannot conceive
how the mod immenfe beds, whvqh
muft neceflarily have been fbft when
fpread over it, could ever produce
this effeft. The caufe of this is yet linr
diicovered, and will probably remain fo

a long

f 357 J

a long time ; however fomething may
be found there which feetns to (hew,
that the bituminous flate has been'
produced in the fame manner, as it
has not only penetrated the fubftance
of the flate, but every thing elfe which
has been laid upon it, for it may yet
be obtained by means of diftillation.
But by what means 'has this been
brought thither ? How could it be
imbibed by the clay, in cafe this was
under water, which however feems
to be undeniable, from the prodigious
number of marine animals that are
found buried in it ? and how could
the inclofed bodies have been prefled
down horizontally ? All thefe pro-
blems I canrtot as yet anfwer fatisfac-
torily, much lefs explain with any de-
gree of certainty*

14. Very cbarfe, heavy, and hard
lava, full of bladders, almoft black,
intermixed with white grains re-
fembltAg quarz, which in fome places
have a figure not unlike a fquare*

The black matter is not attra&ed

by the magnet j but if a piece of it is

Z 3 held

[ 353 1

held againft a compaft, the needle xU
fibly moves. When tried in the cru->
cible, it yields from nine to tei*
pounds of iron in every hundred
weight ? it does not diflblve in the leaft
with fal fod$, with great difficulty t
with borax, and fcarce vifibly by fu-
fible urinous fait. It feems to con-
tain a great deal of clay earth in its
compofition, which may be extracted
by all acid folvents.

Jt is well known that this earth,
when it is entirely free from any other
mixture, may, by means of heat ancj
frying, be brought to that degree of
hardnefs, as to give fire with a fteel,
which prqceed6 from the parts being
brought clofer together, and con-
tracted in a fpace only h^lf as large.
By being thus contracted, it obtains
3. folidity and hardhefs ; and befides,
the furface is fo much cHminifhed, i#
proportion to tlie whole mafs, that
tjie water canftot penetrate any farther
to foft en it.

We have almoft daily opportunities
iji the ftudy of chemiftry of convin^

ins:

[ 359 1

mg ourfelves, that a fubftance with
a fmall furface cannot be changed in
any manner by liquid folvents ; but
may however be attacked by them, in
proportion to the different degrees of
pulverization ; nay, even a fubftance
that cannot be reduced by the fineft
mechanical divifion, may frequently
be feparated, as much as is neceffary,
by a chemical one ; that is to fay, by
a preceding folution in another fol-
vent. The attraction is here in pro-
portion to the extent of" the furface ;
and the larger this is, the ftronger will
be the attack- confequently I cannot
believe that any clay, petrified by heat
or flow drying, can have undergone
any eflential change, but only that its
parts have fo contracted thcmfelves
as to give it the hardnefs of a flint
and prevent it from imbibing any vifl-
ble quantity of water. But as foon
as it has been diflblved by any acid
whatever, and its parts have by
this means been brought out of its
former contraction, to the requifite
degree of finenefs and expanfion, it
becomes as foft as before, without the
• Z 4 acid

[ z6o ]

acid contributing any more to it thaa
has been (aid, as all kinds of acids
fucceed equally well.

I have a very good aflbrtment of
the lava of Solfatera, by which it is
very evident that the fulphureous acid,
which had penetrated the black lava,
deprived it gradually, partly of its
combuftible quality, and had alio
whitened it (to effect which other fub-
ftances, particularly filk, are likewife
expofed to fulphureous exhalations)
and partly had reduced it by folution,
either to a perfect allum, or at lealt to
the common nature of any loofe clay,
I have likewife produced all thefc ef-
fects with aqua-fortis, or any other
acid, in a lava which had qot yet fuf-
fered any change.

The white, that poflefles more op
lefs of thofe tranfparent grains or rays
with which the lava is chequered, do
not feem to be of the nature of quarz^
as they cannot be attacked by fal fodac ;
they are, however, with fome difficulty
diflblved by borax and fufible urinous
fait.

3 Thefe

it

[ 3*i ]

Thefe effe&s are perfe&ly fimilar
to thofe produced upon the diamond,
ruby, faphire, topaz, and hyacinth.
The cryfolite, garnet, turm aline, and
fliirl, can neither be diflblved by fal
fodae, though they are fpmewhat at-
tacked by it, when reduced to a fine
powder ; and upon the two lafl: men-
tioned ones it produces a (light efFer*
yefcence. On this account it is pot-
Able that the precious ftones of mount
Vefuvius, that are fold at Naples, are
more pear related to the real precious
ftones than is generally imagined*

15, A finer kind of lava, quite
porous within, and entirely burnt out*
and confiderably lighter on that account
tjian the preceding one* I have hot
found any iuch grains in it refembling
quarz.

16. The fo called Icelandic agate*
This is of a black or blackilh-brown
colour, and a little tranfparent at the
thin edges like glafs, and gives fire
with the fteeL

It cannot eafily be melted by it-
(elf, but becomes white, and flies in
pieces* It can hardly be diflblved in

the

I 362 ]

the. fire by fufible urinous fait ; but it
fucceeds a little better with borax,
though with fome difficulty ; with
fal fodae it diflblves very little, though
in the firft moments fome ebullition is
perceived, and the whole mafs is af-
terwards reduced to powder*

From hence it may be concluded,
that the Icelandic agate has been pro-
duced by an exceflive fire out of the
lava defcribed in N° 1 4. I have found
no cryftals of this glals in the col-
lection. If any perfons have fuch in
their poffeffion, they ftrould be examin-
ed to fee if they are exaftly of the fame
nature and fubftance with the above
defcribed agate, and if their form has
not been produced accidentally by
burfting afunder.

1 7. More or lefs light, fpongy, and
burnt-out pumice-ftone, particularly
black and reddifli brown. Quarz crys-
tals are fbmetimes found in them ; but
often the rays and grains refembling
quarz mentioned in N° 14.

18. Stones thrown out of the vol-
cano, grey or burnt brown, which feem
to confift of a hardened clay mixed

with

[; 3*3 1 :

toith filiceous earth. They are; (prin-
ted with rays and grains refembling
quarz, and fome, few flakes of mica.
They fufe with great dilficulty in.
the fire ; with fal fodae they (hew Tome
effervefcence at firft, but however it
foon ceafes : the parts refembling
quarz do not produ.ce any motion
at all. From this we may conclude,
that the lava mentioned in N° 14, princ-
ipally originates from this fubftance.

The other loofe flones which I have
received from you, Sir, to all appear-
ance have no abfolute connexion with
the eruptions of fire,. though fome
have been fufpe&ed of it. I will
enumerate them here feparately.

1 9. Red and green jafper, which,
in fbme places where it is broken, 19
quite fmooth and fhining ; this, ci*>
cumftance diftinguiflies it from the,
common jafper, which is dull and
clay-like where it is broken. It has
bpifides all the qualities of true jafper;
ftrikes fire with the fleel, does not
melt in the moft violent fire, but
is diffolved by fal fodse with an
effervpfcengej &c ? 6cc. ,As to thp

ffnooth*

[36+1

fmoothnefs of fbme parts, it cannot
proceed from a commencing fufion,
as it becomes black and dark in a
weaker fire. We here only find a
new link in the conne&ed chain of
nature, by which the jafper is united
with the flint.

There is no black jafper in your
colle&ion ; but the pieces, which to
appearance come neareft to it, belong
to the clafs of the trapp, and fhall be
dcfcribed hereafter.

20. Grey, greenifli date, refem-
bling jafper, that gives fparks with
the fteel, is attacked with a quick ef-
fervefcence by fal fodae, but not far-
ther diflblved by it. In fome places
are grains refembling quarz, which
are eafily diflblved in fufible urinous
fait, but do not fliew the leaft effer*
vefcence in fal fodac.

21. The fmall cryftals, faid to re-
femble cocks-combs; they are nothing
but a different appearance or change
of the heavy fpar.

22. A chalcedorj cruft with fmooth
prominencies, like what they call the
haematites : this is diflblved with the ut-

mofl

C -3&5 3
moft difficulty by fufible urinous fait,
with more eafe by borax, and with
a violent efFervefeenqe by fal fod<e,
exactly as the flint,

23. Zeolite ; two kinds : the one is
fblid, white, and internally, >s it were*
compofed of globofe parts, in which
rays proceeding from the center ap*
pear that refemble fine threads.

This fort fvveils a little by the
bjow-pipe, diflblves perfeftly with
borax, feparates m fal Cods with fome
efFervefcence, but foon ceafes, and
leaves (bme part undiflblved..

The other fort confifts of a plate,
that, in colour and break, refembles
a carnelian : it has a quantity of fmali
prominencies in it, filled wit^i irregular
white cryftals, and fome of the ca-
vities are filled with a loofe-graLned
and. browni(h-red futalance.

The fubftance refembltng a carne-
lian becomes white in the fire, bubbles
up, and becomes fufible..

The cryftalline fubftance becomes
more frothy in the fire than the car-
nelian, and has all the qualities of the
zeolite.

The

[ tf6 1

The fdndy fubftance hardly fwells j
is diflblved with difficulty by borax,
and is attacked at firft with a fuddcn
eifervefcence by fal fbdae.

As it is not uncommon, even in
the profefTors of morality, to pais from
one wrong ftep to another, fo are we
not withdut examples of this kind in
thofe who make nature their ftudy*
Ten years ago it was a general opinion
that the furface of the earth, together
'with the mountains updti it, had been
produced by moiftiire. It^ is true,
fome declaired the fire to be the firft
original caufe, but the greater num-
ber paid* little attention to this opinion.
Now, on the contrary, that a fufa-
terraneous fire had been the principal
agent gains ground daily : every
thing isfuppofed to have been melted
even to the granite. My own fenti-
ments' with regard to it is this,
that bcith the fire and water have
contributed their (hare in this opera-
tion, though in fuch a proportion,
that the force of the former extends
much further than the latter : and, on

• the

I 367 1

the contrary, that the iire has only
worked in forae . parts of ; the furface
>df the earth. , • : m

^ It is not an ealy'fliatter. lo explain,
how the granite, which confiftspf clear
quarz-cryftals, folid field-fpar, and
glimmer (mica) with flat feales, has
been .able to fupport a fufion with-
out the quarz burfting, or becoming
opaque. .......

This is yet lefs to be conceived of
the field-fpar, that becomes foft and
liquid in a weak fire, and has a
dull appearance. . The glimmer fplits
its fcales afunder in the fire; and
frequently twifts them together again
in a very different manner, from thac
in which they appear in the granite.
Notwithftanding all this, if the granite
is confidered as a production q£ the
fire, it need not be wondered at, that
the zeolite has likewife been compre-
hended in this fuppofition. j. ■,;/•

I will allow that cryftals raiay be
produced by the dry method, ^.and I
know feveral ways of obtaining £hetii,
both by fufion .and fublimation ; but I
cjan never be pejrfuaded that the^eplfce

I has

t 3«8 1
has been produced by the afliftance of
fire. It is true, that ibmetimes they
are found in ftones, and in fuch
places where volcanos had formerly
raged ; but it is likewife found in
folid rocks that have never been ex-
pofed to.thefe fires, as at Guftaven-
berg in Jem dan d.

If more forts than one are alfo
certainly free from all fufpicion of
haVinghecn fubjeft to fufion, how is
it poffible, without the dearefl proofs,,
to fuppofe that the whole genus has
been ilibjed: to it ? . If the Icelandic
zeolite .has been produced by fire, we
may juftly queftion how it can yield
above five quarts in twenty-five of
water in diftilling. This may like-
wife be applied to all the other forts*
though they generally contain lefe
water, and the red fort from Adelfors
only one quart in twenty-five. This is
evidently the water of cryftallization, in
proportion to which each kind fwells
more or lefe by the blow-pipe. The Ice-
landic and Feroe zeolites are moft fub-
jeft to this, almoft like borax ; the Adel-
fors zeolite fwells much left, and that

from

I 369 ]

from Upland, and feveral other forts,
fo little, that it ceafes in a moment ;
and even then produces fo fmall an
cxpanfion of fpace, that it is feajreely
perceivable to the eye r . - ::

Since therefore all zeolite? contain
this water of cryftallfcatico, which is
neither found nor expe&ed in the pro-
ductions of fire, it feems to 4»e to he
undeniable, that they have, been, pro-
duced in r the way ;j of .moifture'; be-
fides,, the zeolites .do-fnot .confift qf a
fimple particular kind of earth, but
of three different fojts that, are, jnUed
together*- and in a manner the one
diflblved. by the other, in coniequenctf
of w.hicji their connection cannot be
qonfidered as an original earth, ; In all,
the greateft part confifts of Siliceous
earth, tfye next; is argillaceous ;earth,
and the : leaft part is ^calcareous- earth-
The t,wo laft forts :pi£}j; be difTglyed by

apids, 3$k4 .^P 'P^ e PPft tate .d'i^X ?'H a H
volatile caufticura j : byr.which the. : aqgil^
laceoiis e^fth, but notvthe calcareous
earth, after bqing Separated from xhe
firft. by filtrating, may be precipitated
by fal ibd«. ;. -. , . ;: _r ; V ' ''
A a In

t 370 3

In this manner T have found that
the white zeolite defcribcd above*
contains 48 in 100 of filiceous earth,
22 of pure argillaceous earth, and
from 12 to 14 of calcareous earth. If
thefe numbers are added together,
and reckoned with what it contains of
water, the produce is (bmething more
than 100. This furpius proceeds
from the calcareous earth that enters
into the zeolite without fixed air, with
which it is afterwards impregnated
during the precipitation* Other* zeo-
lites contain exa£Iy the fame fiibftan-
ces, only in different proportions*

J 'QFfthofe which I have hitherto ex-
ammedi the Jemtlahd zeolite contains
the greateft quantity of calcareous
earth; : that* is to fay, 16 parts in 1 cc*,,
ami that frorii Eeroe* the leaff, : name-.

jkh&fois t : contains ; xfe gre^feft'c^uan-
tiky-bf.fiticec^ to Wlti ho in

rdtoy aricf the IceKhdie the feaft, to wit,
48 : 'iti : rob.- :: 'Tfi£ ieolite^ohf Feroe
eohtaihs moftargiHaceou^earifei name-
ly- about i^lrivi^, * and" 1 that from
Adelfors the teaft, or about 9 in ioo*
-2f When

"When the original compofition of atiy
kind of ftone is thus known, it h not
difficult to determine its qualities.

The zeolites at firft froth and fwell
in the fire, the caufe of which has been
already explained*

They afterwards fufe more or left
perfectly* The fwapparara kind may
be reduced to a clear glafs, and thd
Upland red zeolite can hardly be
brought to give ariy figns of vitrifica-
tion on the furface*

It is well known that quarz, pure
argillaceous earth, and lime cannot ft*
pfcrately be made to fufe, nor two and
two mixed together in many cafes ; but
when all three are compounded, they
are more or left inclined to fufioru One
j>art of pure argillaceous earth, with
one part of lime # and two and a half to
three parts of quarz, afford a mixture
Which is eafieft brought to fufe. If the
compofition of the zeolites is compared
with- this mixture, they are found to
be fufible in the fame meafure as the
proportion of their conftituent parts
approaches more or left to the above-
mentioned compofition .

A a 2 They

[ • 37* •]

They arc more ftrpngly attacked by
fal fodae than by borax, or fuilble uri*
nous (alt, becaufe there ismoft filiceous
earth jn all, which is bed diflblved by
the folid alkaline fait in the dry way.

Laflly, feveral forts have the quality
of yielding jellies, that is to fay, they
change a proportionable quantity of
♦acid to a femi-tranfparent congealed
mafs, which refembles a jelly.

Thefe congelations may in general be
produced in different ways ; fometimes
the menftruum by length of time lofes
its power, when the diflblved part is
attacked gradually, though imperfeft-
]y, fo that in a manner it remains
fufpended half diflblved, and after
fome evaporation at laft congeals to a
tough coherent fubftance. This fre-
quently happened in diflblving tin in
marine acid, or aqua-regia, when the
inflammable fubftance decreafes too
much, and by that means weakens the
connexion between the metal and the
folvent.

Sometimes a kind of gelatinous
congelation is produced by an im-
perfect precipitation. For inftance,

when

[ 373 ]

when the liquor filicum is united with
a certain quantity of acid, fo that the
filiceous earth is not entirely feparated,
but remains fufpended in the liquor.
This much refembles a circumftance
exhibited by fome zeolites, which I will
now more fully explain. .

As the red zeolite of Adelfors pro-
duces this effect more clearly than any
other, it (hall ferve as an inftance of
it. After this is feparated and freed
as much as poflible from calcareous
fpar, three or four tea fpoons full of
it mull be thrown into a wine glafs
half filled with common aqua-fbrtis,
when. after a fliort time the whole fo-
hnion will be found in the form of
a redd Mi gelatinous fubftance, that
nothing of it runs out if even the glafs
is turned. To difcover the caufe of
this, I have taken fome of the cleareft
jelly, and diflblved it with boiling water
in a glafs mortar, and left it to dry
on a filtering paper after a perfect
filtration, by which means the place
that it occupied was incredibly di-
minifhed. I then tried this fubftance
with acids, but it was not at all atr
A a 3 tacked,

C 374 1

tacked, and did not melt in the flrongeft
fire alone* The fulible urinous fait
hardly attacked it ; borax diffolved it,
though with difficulty ; but fal fodse
diflclved it perfe&Jy with a ftrong ef-
fervefcence. In confequence of this
the gelatinous fubftance chiefly conr
lifts of filiceous earth expanded in the
higheft degree* But by what means has
this indifloluble fubftance been intro*
duced into a folyent ?

We have before pbferved, that the
Adelfors zeolite contains eighty parts
in a hundred of filiceous earth, nine
and a half of argillaceous earth, and
fix and a half of calcareous earth free
from fixed air; all which fubftances
fire united as clofe as poffibje. If
therefore the powder is thrown into
an acid, and remains there during
fome time, the argillaceous and calca-
reous earths are immediately attacked
by it ; but thefe are internally con-r
ne&ed with the filiceous earth, and
confequently take a confiderable part
of it, half diffolved, into the fpUngy
and fwoln (late, which ail fubftances
generally exhibit Jn $he mtifftSPt .Of

precipita*

J

[ 375 3
precipitation. The fame thing hap-
pens when a refinous gum is laid
into fpirits of wine j part of the gum,
together with the refin, is then im-
mediately diflblved by the fpirit of
wine on account of its connexion/
though the firft alone cannot be di£-
folved by it at all. If a fufficient
quantity of water or acid is added
before the liquor begins to congeal,
no congelation enfues, but the fili-
ceous earth falls in loofe flakes to the
bottom, which evidently proves that
the fblvent, in regard to its quantity
and ftrength, muft be confined within
certain limits. An addition of fome
chalk increafes its tendency to gelati-
nous congelations, partly becaufe the
folution becomes more broken and
hard, and partly by means of bubbles
of fixecl air, which attach themfHves
to the fpungy filiceous powder, and
make it lighter ; whence the zeolite
of Adelfors in this pafe feems to have
an advantage over every other fort,
on account of the lime-fpar naturally
mixed with it ; the principal part
however, no doubt, depends on the
A a 4 feveral

[ 376 3

fevpral parts that compote it. Some
forts afford only a gelatinous fub-
ftance after a preparatory calcination j
the caufe of which rqoft probably is
this, that the calcareous earth has not
before been enough united With the
filiceous earth, at leaft not with the
whole of it. It is well known that
lime and quarz, when expofed to the
operation of a fire, that lias, only caufed
them to b?ike together, neverthelefs af-
terwards yield a gelatinous fubflanpe.
Alcaline fait mixed with fajid affords
a fimilar demi-concretion, as when we
calcine potrafhes ; on which account
the cleareft folution a long while after
precipitates filiceous powder, in the
fame proportion that the alcaline fa]t
attracts fixed air, with which it pre*
ferably unites itfelf. This generally,
produces a gelatinous congelation,
when the water is faturated with al-
caline fait, find alio is well charged
with filiceous earth.

From the fame caufe, clay, fpathofe
fluor, and other fubftances, Hard to
be difTolved in acids, may be brought
to a gelatinous congelation, when they

have

[ 377 1

have before by fufion been united with
alcaline fait, borax, or calcareous earth :
calcareous earth by itfelf never gives a
gelatinous fubftance hi acids, confe-
quently it can Co much the lefs become
a filiceous earth by this method, as has
however been thought by fome, who
would foon .relinquish their qpinion, if
they would only make experiments*
themfelves ; where there is no flint be-
fore, it cannot poflibly be produced
by any other acid, but that which is
obtained from fpathofe fluor.

But at prelent this is enough of the
zeolite, of which I have treated more
extensively, $s it is found in great
abundance in Iceland, and is fnppofed
by fome to be produced in the dry
way ; but I hope that this matter is at
prefent entirely determined, not only
by its feparatiori, but alfo by its pro-
duction, which happens daily in the
water. See N° 2.

I have for feveral years pafl: endea-
voured to dilcover the number as well
as the nature of the original kinds of
earth. In the year 1758 Mr. Cron-
ftedt counted nine ; if he had lived

longer

[ 378 ]

longer for the benefit of thfc fciences,
he would no doubt have rectified this
account. In confequence of my ex*
periments I have difcoyered the fol-
lowing fix forts :

1. Calcareous earth, which after be-
ing faturated by acid of vitriol affords
a gypfiim.

2. Terra ponderofa, which with
acid of vitriol gives a ponderous fpar,
and in feveral refpects is very different
from the calcareous earth.

3. Magnefia, which, together with
acid of vitriol, produces the Englifh
or Epfora falu

Thefe three kinds are generally-
found faturated with fixed air, and
they are on that account fubjeft to an
pffervefcence with ftronger acids.

4. Argillaceous, earth, which, toge*
ther with the vitriolic acid, produces
frilum,

The common argillaceous earth is
always mixed with filiceous earth, but
the fort here meant miift be entirely
pure.

5. Siliceous earth, which is not at-*
tacked by aqy acid yet known, the

fluor

[ 379 3

fluor acid excepted- In the dry, w*ay
it can be diflbjved with a third pafrt'of
its weight of fixed alkali to a €ran£
parent lifting glafs, which at firft is,
attested withaftfong efFervefcenee.

6. G^mmeous earth, that is no.t
attacked by any known acid, and
clearly djftinguifhes itfelf from xhe pre-
ceding forts, by its being entirely in-
diffbluble, and is not fubjeft to
any effervefcence in the fire with fixed
alcali. It is found iji $1 the gems or
precious {tones.

1 have in vain made u(e of various
methods to feparate thefe earths into
more fimple principles, and -to all ap-
pearance others would have no bet-
ter fuccefs than I have had ; if they
jars really compounds, they are at
leaft fimple in regard to the method
known among us of feparating fub-
fiances, and do not arife from of*e
another, Whatever has therefore been
objected to this opinion from pre-
judice, cannot fubfift after experi-
ments have been made upon that fob-
jeft. We muft not pretend to im-
prove Jjature according to our notions,

Jbut

C 380 ]

but endeavour to diftinguifli all kinds
of fubftances, which have fufficient
and lading marks of diftin&ions. No
certain origin can be made unlets the
feparation and composition of them,
which may Be relied on, has been
made before. All the different forts
of (tone and earth, hitherto known,
are compofed of one or more of the
fix principles before-mentioned, which
(hall be proved more at large in
another place, as foon as I am able
to make fome experiments that re*
quire repetition,

Of the Bafalts.

Q F all the mountains hitherto
known, there are without doubt
not any more remarkable than thole
that are compofed of angular pil-
lars. A few years ago only one or
two of this kind were known ; but
new ones are daily difcovered, which
is a plain proof how much our at-
tention requires being rouzed tQ

prevent

t 381 ]

prevent it from flumbering, on the
moft important occafions*

It cannot be much doubted thar
there has been fome connections be-
tween thefe pillars, and the effe&s of
a fubterraneons fire, as they are found
in places where the figns of fire are
yet vifible; and as they are.even found
mixed with lava, tuff, and other fub-
ft ances produced by fire.

The caufe of the regular form of
thefe pillars is a problem which we
have hitherto been unable to folve
fatisfa&orily. This difficulty has ap-
peared fo insurmountable to fome,
that they have thought it itnpoffible
to be the effe&s of nature, and have
confidered them as works made by
human hands : this idea betrays the
utmoft . ignorance in regard to the
true nature of thefe mountains of pil-
lars, and does not even deferve a re-
futation.

As far as we know, nature makes
ule of three methods to produce regu-
lar forms in the mineral kingdom,
namely, that of cryftallization or pre-
cipitation : 2dly, the crufting or fet-
tling of the external furface of a

liquid

[ 3fi* 1

liquid mafs whilft it is cooling : atfd#
3dly, the burftitig of & iftoift fubftance
whilft it is drying;

The firft method is the moft com-
mon, but to all appearance nature has
not made ufe of this in the prefent
cafe. Cryftals are feldom or never
found in any confiderabld quantity
running in the fame direction, but
either inclining from one another, or*
what is dill more common, placed to-
wards- one another in feveral.floping
directions. They are alfo generally
fepaf ated a little from one another*
when they are regular ; the natdre of
the thing like wife requires this * becauft
the feveral particles, of which the cryP
tals are compiled, muft have the li J
berty of following that power which
affe&s their regular difpofition.

The bafalt columns, on the contrary,
whole height are frequently from thirty
to forty feet, are placed parallel to one
another In confiderable numbers, and
fo clofe together that the point of a
knife can hardly be introduced be-
tween them. Befides, in moft places,
each pillar is divided into (everal

parts

C 38a 1

parts or joints, that Xeetoi to be placed
upon one another; and indeed 'it 1 is
not uncommon for d*yftals~to be
formed above one another in different
layers, when the (blvAnt has beeft
vifibly diminiflied at different titnes ;
but then the upper eryftals never fit^
fo exa&ly upon the loWer one3 as'tej
produce cttnne&ed prifms of the fetiid
length and depths as all the ft rat a taken,
together, btit each fttatum feparatety
forms' its ^»n *cryftals*

Hdw then cat* the ^Giant's CattfB*
way, : itt ; the tbiintyMof Atttrimv Rrigal'tf
Cave'* at StifFa, and all other aflfcm^
bltfgtif of piHafs ofithte fame kifld* bft
considered • as : cryfUlttzations ? Pre^
dpk&tiori* -both in the wet and dtf
manner, Quires tKat the particles'
fhouid \S6 .free entittgh to 1 fk thettt-
felvei in c ^certain [ order } and as tHte
is not practicable hi a large meKed

*

ma;fij, tob &ry(!aIHzati6ris appear 1 in it
except mi^&furfawei;br in its eavitfes.
Add fo this* that 1 the bafaks in a
freftt fiacre do*;not fhew^'a pMh
fmotfeh fttfface undi^r the midrofdttpe,
but appear i {bmeeftftei like grains of
difffewfat magnitude, and at other

time

[ 38 4 ]

times refemble fine rays running in
different dire&ions, that do not eor-
refpond with the internal ftrufture of
the cryftals, which I have endeavoured
to examine in another place.

From what I have hitherto men-
tioned, the opinion that the bafalts
have been produced by cryftallization,
becomes at leaft lefs probable, whether
we admit the wet or dry method.
But I muft not omit that the fpars ex-
hibit a kind of cryftallization, which
at firft fight refembles a heap of ba-
falts ; but, upon a clofer examination,
a very great difference is obferved.
The form of the fpar is every where
alike, but the bafalts differ from one
another in point of fize and number
of fides ; the former, when broken,
confifts of many fmall unequal cubes,
but the bafalt does not feparate in
regular parts, &c

Nature's fecond method to pro-
duce regular forpis is that of cruft-
ing the outer furface of a melted
mats. By a fudden refrigeration
nature, to effeft this purpofe, makes
ufe of polyedrous and irregular
5 forms*

[ ;3*5 ]

forms. . If we fuppofe a confiderable
bed, which is become fluid by fire,
and fpread over £ plain, it evidently
appears that the furface muft firft of
all lofe the degree of heat requifite for
melting, and begin to congeal ; but
the cold requifite for this purpofe like-
wife contrails the uppermoft congeal-
ed ftratum into a narrower fpace,
and confequently caufes it to feparate
from the remaining liquid mafs, as
the fide expofed to the air is already
too ftiff to give way. In this manner
a ftratum is produced running in a
parallel direction with the whole mafs,
others ftill are produced by the fame
caufe, in proportion as the refrigera-
tion penetrates deeper.

Hence we may, in my opinion, very
plainly fee how a bed may be divided
into ftrata. In the fame manner the
refrigeration advances on the fides,
and confequently divides the ftrata
into polyedrous pieces of pillars, that
can hardly ever be exa&ly fquare,
as the ftrpngeft refrigeration into the
inner parts of the mafs advances al-
moft in a diagonal line from the cor-
B b ners #

C 38« ]

jiers. If we add to this, that a large
mafs cannot be equal throughout its
compofition, nor every where liquid
in the fame degree, it will be eafy to
difcover the caufe of feveraj irregu-
larities. If the depth of the bed is
very confiderable, in proportion to
its breadth, prifmatic pillars, without
crofs-divifions, are produced, at leaft
lengthways from the uppermoft fur-
face downwards.

The third way is perfectly fimilar
to the preceding in refpeft to the e£
fe#, but is different from it by the
mafs being foaked with water, and
by the burfting of it afunder, which
is the effeft of the contraction whilfl
it is drying. If we fuppoie fuch a
bed (o be fpread over a level fpace,
the drying advances in the fame man-
ner as the refrigeration in the former
cafe.

This (eparatfon into ftrata properly
happens when a confiderable quantity
of clay enters into the whole com-
pofition, becaufe the clay decreafes
more .than any ether kind of earth in
-drying/
' " We

C 3*7 1

We muft now examine which of
thefe two ways may beft ferve to ex-
plain the manner in which the bafalts
are produced, for it is hardly poffible
that they fhould have been formed by
cryftallization.

However well founded the opinion
may appear of deducing them from a
melted fubftance, feveral very confl-
derable objections may neverthelefs
be raifed againft it, that I fliall not
forget to mention. It feems therefore
more credible to me, that they have
been producpd out of their fubftance
whilft it was yet foft, or at leaft not
too hard to be foftened by exha-
lations. If we therefore fuppofe that
a bed is fpread over a place where a
volcano begins to work, it is evident
that a great quantity of the water*
always prefent- on thefe occafions,
is driven upwards in exhalations or
vapours ; thefe it is well known po£
fefs a penetrating fbftening power,
by means of which they alfo produce
their firft effect; but when they are
increafed to a fufficient quantity, they
i^cpethis tough moift fubftance up-
J ./,;' Bba ward?,

t 388 ]

wards, which then gradually falls, and
during this timeburfts in the manner
defcribed above.

My reafons fof this opinion are
thefe ; firft," we do not find the in*
ternal grain of the.bafolts melted or
vitrified, which however foon hap-
pens by fufion, and ftir th^t pur-
pofe a very fmall degree of fire only ,
is requifite. It confequently is very
hard to explain how this (ubftance
could have been fo fluid, that ilo
traces of bubbles appear in it (at
lead I have not been able to difcover
any after the niceft examination into
the Scotch and Icelandic bafalts) and
yet when broken appear dull and un-*
even. I know very well that lava is
feldom vitrified within ; but the great
ri umber of bubbles and pores Which
are found in the whole mafs, ardfiiore
than fufficient proofs than it has hot
been perfe&ly melteid to its fniralleffc
parts, but has only befefi. brought to
be near fluid, ' . J '

Secondly, the bafalts f6'muchr£-i

feniblb the more find iwpp, botfrih

refpe£t to their gfcijfc and original 1

J :i com*

X &9 1
.Cottlpafition, that they can hardly be
diftinguiflied in fmall fragments, as
will be more plainly proved in the
comparifon I hereafter make* See
-N 24.

But the trapp in all probability has
never been melted, at leaft not in thofe
parts where I have had opportunities
of examining it*

Almoft in all the Weft Gothia ftra-

: tified mountains, the uppermoft ftra-

tum is trapp j and it muftj^e properly

fObierved that It always lies upon black

allum flate. Is it therefore credible

that this fubftance, which in many

places exceeds a hundred yards in

depth, can have been perfe&ly .melted

without caufing the flate lying Ueneath

it to lofe fome part of its blacknefs,

.even in thofe.places where they touch

.one another, as this effeft .may-.beprp*

duced in a fmall culinary .fire ?

There is befides a more fine kind

of trapp, .which is generally found }n

. veins or loads, and frequently in very

antient mountains, where not the leaft

.traces of fubterranean fire, are to te

feen*

B b 3 - The

[ 39° 3

The bafalt mountains feem to be
very antient, at leaft I do not know
that the age of any one is afcertained.
Should they then be fo oJd, that the
fubftance of the trapp was not yet
perfectly hardened, when were they
produced ? Befides, we frequently
find to this day clayey fubftances at
a great depth, which are fo foft that
they may be fcraped by the nail, but
afterwards become very hard when
expofed to the air.

There have without doubt been
many eruptions of fire on the ifle of
Staffa, as the fituation of the pillars
and their being removed out of their
places evidently prove.

You, Sir, have likewife brought a
very clear proof of this from thence,
which is a piece of bafalt, that ex.
teriorly is full of hollows, and in a
manner burnt,

A hard fubftance, when expofed to
a degree of heat infufficient to melt
the whole piece, may however be at-
tacked by it in fome parts of the
furface moft liable to become fluid.

The

{ 3?* 1
The mixture of a large mafs isfeldotii
every where fo uniform, that fome
parts (hould not be more iiable to melt
than.pthers.

Crooked pillars may be produced
as well lpy the dryipg as the refrigera-
tioji of a liquid mafs ; for this purppfe
it is only neceflary that the : furface
{hould be bent, as, .the ftraturai, always
runs: in a parallel dire&iqn wfth.itV

Frona what I have |utherto r laid you
will perceive it is\ : my. opinion,, s\ivi$
the bafalte_have been.p^oduced by die
^affiftance of a fubterxanean frr£i;T?i?P
.that it is not yet , determined;W^?-
ther they^haye been fepar } ate4 byJHe
fufiop^ ot by drying: this laft Jhpw.*
>ever appears more credible tq m<e r <?n
account: of the reafbns j.havs Vdfpr
tioned. For to fpeak ftri&ly> fifth
fubftances inclofed in the JaafgJks*
though they Qiould iven be,volcirfic,
do jhot; y>et with xertainty proves a
preceding fufion, as . a : fubftance ibf-
tened.by water may be. as proper for
it as one fo fed by fire*. I amjiovfr"
ever very far from being inclined to
B b 4 main-

C w 3

maintain my opinion 'any farther thah
it agrees with cerpiih experiments jxrid
obfervatibns. '

Truth will fooner or later be di£

r

covered; and I know nothlh'g 'more
derogatory to the honour of a natural
• hiftorian, than - having wilfblly ob-
'fhta&ed its knowledge.

-I will now give a more fufldefcrip-
iioh of the balalts and different kinds
of trkpp which you have *bf ought
from St affa aad Iceland.

24. Bafalt from Staffa'.^-^Fhe piece
prtfented to me is a'prifm^tic^hexago-
naV fragment, three fides of Which are
almoft of equal dimenfions; and arfe
coniie&ed ; with ione* another 4 ; ~ two
others are larger^ and are fepafated
Trom one another hy die fixth and
friialleft ; it is a little concave at thfe
top, and convex ^t the bottom.

Trapp is generally fotindin fqtiare
Irregular cubes^ whence: it hafrtaoft
probably obtained its denomination,
on account of {ome fimtiattiyitfhh
Hones made ufepf for ftair-dafes. •

It

[ 3$3 1

tt is -alfo found Jin prifinatic triatf*
gular forms, though rarely, as alio iti
the fbrrii ^>f immenfe pillars. Of this
kind are thofe called; Titalefteriar, bp-
pdfite Bragnum, at the foot of the
Hurindberg, which have fepateated
fhcirfffelve^from the : Jtemaining' part of '
the bed; and in 1759, when I firffc
fitw £hera, formed an angle of about
eight degrees with the plumb-line:' *
•Thebalalt front Staffia, when newly
broken, J is of a blackifli grey,- Chin-
ing, and fmall-fcaled ; and I ha\fe
dif&iWkhtoith thfe microfcOpe fcftne
fmall white partides'fprinkled^ and

> Tht fiheft trapp is per fe&ty*(hfkihr
whiti broken, only of a lighter co-
loiinv^hidi proceeds fr^m ths>greatetf
Quantity of white particles. - " v • :/

irheriutface dtcorapofes4ntc?a grtfy-
yello^r loofecruA, that lofes^tfitfin
the *more folid ni&fs. - f - -

; TPhtf firte tfapp decompofefc%i the
iaifie<:tadrtner. J - -

The bafalt when ftruck with the
fttet hardly gives fire, though 8'fpark

-v 'may

E 394 ]

tnay now and then be obtained .with
difficulty*

This fame circumftance may be ob-
ferved of the trapp.
-, Its. fpeclfic weight is about 3000,
and that of the trapp about 29^90.

It becomes fine* by cutting, and po-
licing.

: The' more fh>e kjnd of trapp the
fame.
• It yields an afh-poloured pqwder.

The trapp yiejdg rather a powder
of a more light colour.

It foon melts to black glafly (lags.

The trapp Hkewife.

The bafalt is attacked by fal fodx
with an effervefcence that foon ceafes,
and though fome. feparation enfues,
the greater part howpver remains un-
diflblved. Borax perfectly, folve.s, i$
without effervefcence, ,and giyep a
clear iron-colour ed glafs. Jt . ,is
fblved with great difficulty by. full*
ble urinous fait, ,-^nd ? whilft cool-
ing becomes of a whitifh grey, and
opake. . ; .-*.■*'

The fame effe&s are produced by
thefc acids upon the trapp.

One

I 395 ]

One hundred parts of bafalt very
finely powdered, and feveral times
digefted with frefli aqua regia, and
then well wafhed and dried, leave
fixty-eight parts undiflblved.

The remainder of this (hews a little
effervefcence before it unites with the
fal fodae, and diflblves very little. It is
diflblved with eafe by borax, and with
difficulty by fufible urinous felfr. It
feems therefore to be a mixture of
iiliceous and gemmeous earth.

The folution gives by precipitation
with lixivium fanguinis as muchPruf-
fian blueas is equal to twenty-fix parts
in ioo of iron ; though the b^felt, by
being tried in the ufual manner in
the crucible, does not yield above ten
in ioo. This proves that lixivium
fanguinis affords the moft exa& me-
thod of allaying iron ore.

When at laft: the folution is preci-
pitated with cauftic volatile alkali, af-
ter the iron has been feparated by
lixivium fanguinis, faturated with
acid, pure argillaceous earth is ob-
tained.

Some-

t 3-9* 1

Sometimes a little calcareous earth
appears after a preceding precipita*
tion; when diflblved £al foda is added)
but fometimes not the fmaileft traces
of it canbedUcovered, even with the
acid of fugar, which is Jbowever the
fafeft method hitherto known of di£
covering it. The calcareous earth
(eem* therefore to be accidental* This
is however very certain, that rthe in**
terftices between the pillars are fome-
times found filled up with. calcareous
fpar.

The trapp isexa<ftly .of. the fame
nature, and contains nearly the fame
allay, fa that the experiments differ
only one or a half part in one hun-
dred. The moft considerable differ*
^ence confiftsin the calcareous earth
appearing here more vifibly, fo that
generally a* (light effprvefcence is ob-
served when an acid id poured on the
powder.

25. Bafalt from Hvkara, n^arSkall-
holt, in Ieeland.-r-The piece in my
pofleffion is too finail to difcover its
form ; only a part of the outfide can
be diftinguifhed. When frefh broken
5 it

t 397 3
it refembles the bafak from Staffa,
though fomething may be obferve4
iri it w hich is very feldom difcovered in,
the laft. Thefe are foiail round ca-
vities, not larger than pins heads,
thinly (battered in fortie places, as
likewife on the outfide. All thefe
cavities, are filled up with a white,
greenifh, or brown powder.

May not thefe perhaps have been
fome particles of a fubftance, which
eafily diflblving was become liquid*
though the whole mafs had not a fuf-
ficient degree of heat to melt it ?

But whence can thefe cavities be
filled with this powder ?: In the midft
of fo folid a mafs, no decompofition
feems to be poflible.

The fubftance of the bafalt itfelf
produces a little effervefcence with fal
fbdae, and fcparates without being vifi*
bly diffolved, h diflblves in borax, as

JikewifisbrfufiWeurinousfalt, although
with raorediffieulty. By the common
method.of pr&vingit. in the crucible it
yields ..ten .parts in one hundred x>f
iron. ; The. feme ciccumftances may

- ■ be

N

f 398 J

be obferved for trying the powder that
fills up the cavities ; it only feems to
melt a little eafier than the folid fab-
fiance furrounding it.

26. The bafaltfrom Laugarnas per-
fectly refembles coarfe trapp, though
it has more white particles, and fome-
times cryftallizations as large as a
cherry-ftone; the dark-grey and white
parts prove to be entirely of the fame
nature by the blow-pipe, becomes
fluid by itfelf, and produces a fudderi
effervefcence with fal ibdx, but with-
out being quite diflblved by it: it is
exaftly as the preceding fort*

27. Black, folid glofly trapp, knotty
within, and refembling wood in its
internal ftrudlure, being full of fibres.
Many pieces are grown to a cruft of
pumice on one fide or another, though
their edges are quite frefli and fmooth;
whence we may conclude, that they '
themfelves have not been melted, but
have either been thrown into the
lava, which was already burnt outi
or that the lava has flowed over
them : fome part of it however feems

to

[ 39? 1

to have been more attacked by the
fire.

The manner in which the fire and
acids operate upon this trapp, is ex-
actly the fame as with the preceding
b a fait. There arc likewife fome grains
fcattered in it refembling quarz, which
are not folved by fal fodse, nor does
it caufe any effervefcence ; borax and
fufible urinous fait entirely diflblve
them, though (lowly.

28. A compact dark-brown trapp
from Vido, the furface of which is
glafly and uneven, as if it had been,
made fluid by fire. It muft alio be
obferved, that cryflallizations of frefli
pyrites are frequently found in thefe
glafly rough pieces. The glafly fiib-
ftance eafily becomes fluid with fome
ebullition, almoft like fliirl ; befides,
it exhibits the fame circumftances with
acids as the preceding.

You will fee, Sir, by this long let-
ter, that in the eruptions in Iceland
argillaceous and (UiqeQus fubftances
have been principally concerned, as
has been the cafe in other parts; I
know very well that 3\£r. Beaume

main^

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etc *^*£

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